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| Date: | Wednesday 8 October 1947 |
| Time: | 07:55 |
| Type: |  Douglas DC-4 |
| Owner/operator: | American Airlines |
| Registration: | NC90432 |
| MSN: | 10314 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 54 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Location: | 35 miles west of El Paso, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | KDAL |
| KLAX |
American Airlines Flight 311 was scheduled to fly from New York to Los Angeles with a stopover in Dallas. On board were three captains: C. R. Sisto, who initially sat in the captain’s seat; Melvin Logan in the co-pilot’s seat; and John Beck, seated in the jump seat as an observer to gain familiarity with the DC-4 aircraft. During the flight, Captain Beck switched seats with Captain Sisto, who moved to the jump seat.
While in the jump seat, Captain Sisto secretly engaged the gust lock, causing the aircraft to begin climbing. Captain Beck, unaware of the gust lock's engagement, attempted to counter the climb using the elevator trim to lower the nose. However, the climb continued. Just as Captain Beck was about to return the trim to neutral—suspecting the gust lock might be the cause—Captain Sisto abruptly disengaged the gust lock. This sudden release, combined with the nose-down trim setting, caused the aircraft to pitch violently downward and become inverted.
Due to the extreme maneuver and the fact that Captains Beck and Sisto were not wearing their seat belts, they were thrown to the top of the cockpit and accidentally feathered the propellers of engines 1, 2, and 4. Captain Logan, who was properly strapped in, quickly recognized the aircraft’s orientation and, aided by the reduced descent rate from the feathered propellers, managed to roll the plane back to level flight. Flight 311 made an emergency landing in El Paso.
Thirty-five passengers sustained minor injuries from being thrown about the cabin, and the aircraft suffered damage to the cabin interior and portions of the wing de-icing boots.
Cause:
The accident was caused by the unauthorized engagement and subsequent disengagement of the gust lock during flight. Additionally, Captain Sisto was found to have violated the principles of aviation safety and demonstrated poor judgment. His commercial pilot certificate was revoked.
Sources:
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33316/dot_33316_DS1.pdf
https://www.flyingmag.com/a-harmless-prank/
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 14 August 1984 | N74183 | Florida Aircraft Leasing | 0 | Ft.lauderdale, FL | |
sub |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Jul-2025 06:08 | yukipara3 | Added |
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