Narrative:
At 10:00 PDT Saturn Flight 14 departed the Alameda Naval Air-Station for a cargo flight to Wilmington, Delaware with an en route stop at Indianapolis The flight was uneventful before it reached Springfield, except for a deviation to avoid weather over Colorado. Shortly after a deviation to the right to avoid weather, the left wing separated from the aircraft at about outer wing station 162. The aircraft rolled and yawed violently, and shortly after the left wing failed , the right wing failed outboard of the no. 4 engine. The aircraft descended at a steep angle and crashed.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The undiscovered, preexisting fatigue cracks, which reduced the strength of the left wing to the degree that it failed as a result of positive aerodynamic loads created by moderate turbulence."
Wing failure
Loss of control
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Thursday 23 May 1974 |
| Time: | 16:53 |
| Type: |  Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules |
| Operator: | Saturn Airways |
| Registration: | N14ST |
| MSN: | 4225 |
| First flight: | 1967 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 18837 |
| Engines: | 4 Allison 501-D22A |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | near Springfield, IL ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Alameda NAS, CA (NGZ/KNGZ), United States of America |
| Indianapolis-Weir Cook Municipal Airport, IN (IND/KIND), United States of America | |
| Flightnumber: | 14 |
At 10:00 PDT Saturn Flight 14 departed the Alameda Naval Air-Station for a cargo flight to Wilmington, Delaware with an en route stop at Indianapolis The flight was uneventful before it reached Springfield, except for a deviation to avoid weather over Colorado. Shortly after a deviation to the right to avoid weather, the left wing separated from the aircraft at about outer wing station 162. The aircraft rolled and yawed violently, and shortly after the left wing failed , the right wing failed outboard of the no. 4 engine. The aircraft descended at a steep angle and crashed.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The undiscovered, preexisting fatigue cracks, which reduced the strength of the left wing to the degree that it failed as a result of positive aerodynamic loads created by moderate turbulence."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
TurbulenceWing failure
Loss of control
Sources:
» NTSB-AAR-75-5Follow-up / safety actions
As a result of facts obtained by the Safety Board during its investigation of the crash of Flight 14, the FAA issued Airworthiness Directive 74-12-06. The directive required that all applicable aircraft be inspected. The inspection of all US registered L-382 aircraft revealed one aircraft with the lower forward spar cap cracked through the entire cross section at OWS 160. The flight hours on the aircraft were 16,000 +.
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Alameda NAS, CA to Indianapolis-Weir Cook Municipal Airport, IN as the crow flies is 3089 km (1931 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
Distance from Alameda NAS, CA to Indianapolis-Weir Cook Municipal Airport, IN as the crow flies is 3089 km (1931 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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