Accident Douglas C-54B-5-DO (DC-4) NC88813,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 337113
 

Date:Thursday 19 December 1946
Time:18:07
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC4 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Douglas C-54B-5-DO (DC-4)
Owner/operator:Eastern Air Lines
Registration: NC88813
MSN: 18344
Year of manufacture:1944
Total airframe hrs:4174 hours
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 60
Aircraft damage: Substantial, repaired
Category:Accident
Location:near Aberdeen, MD -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:Newark International Airport, NJ (EWR/KEWR)
Destination airport:Miami (unknown airport), FL
Investigating agency: CAB
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."

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: CAB
Report number: final report
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

CAB File No. 5019-46

Revision history:

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