Accident Douglas C-47-DL (DC-3) NC54374,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 337114
 

Date:Thursday 19 December 1946
Time:18:07
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC3 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Douglas C-47-DL (DC-3)
Owner/operator:Universal Air Lines
Registration: NC54374
MSN: 6177
Year of manufacture:1942
Total airframe hrs:8398 hours
Engine model:Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 25
Aircraft damage: Substantial, repaired
Category:Accident
Location:near Aberdeen, MD -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:Newark International Airport, NJ (EWR/KEWR)
Destination airport:Raleigh/Durham Airport, NC (RDU/KRDU)
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Universal Flight 7, a Douglas DC-3, departed Newark at 17:07 on an instrument flight clearance, via Airway Amber 7, over Washington to Raleigh, at 2,000 feet. Fifteen minutes later, Eastern Flight 605, a Douglas DC-4, departed Newark on a contact clearance at 2,000 feet, via Airway Amber 7, over Washington to Miami, non-stop. The DC-4 overtook the DC-3 in the vicinity of Aberdeen, Maryland. The co-pilot of the Eastern DC-4 suddenly saw the lights of an aircraft close to and to the left of the DC-4 and immediately rolled the DC-4 into a bank to the right and pulled the nose up forcefully. The rear of the plane collided with the forward top portion of the DC-3's fuselage. The DC-3 pilots, thinking they had collided with a bird, carried out a safe landing at Phillips Army Air Field while the DC-4 diverted to Washington-National Airport.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the lack of vigilance on the part of the pilots of both aircraft."

Sources:

CAB File No. 5019-46

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft
14 October 1952 PP-AXJ Aerovias Brasil 14 San Francisco de Paula, RS w/o
CFIT

Revision history:

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