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| Date: | Tuesday 12 February 1935 |
| Time: | |
| Type: | Goodyear-Zeppelin U.S.S. Macon |
| Owner/operator: | United States Navy |
| Registration: | ZRS-5 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 76 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | off Point Sur, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
Ran into a storm off Point Sur, California. During the storm, she was caught in a wind shear which caused structural failure of the unstrengthened ring (17.5) to which the upper tailfin was attached. The fin failed to the side and carried away. Pieces of structure punctured the rear gas cells and caused gas leakage. Acting rapidly and on fragmentary information an immediate and massive discharge of ballast was ordered. Control was lost and, tail heavy and with engines running full speed ahead, the Macon rose past the pressure height and kept going until enough helium was vented to cancel the lift. It took her 20 minutes to descend from 4,850 ft and, settling gently into the sea, Macon sank off the California coast.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Macon_(ZRS-5)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Dec-2008 11:28 | harro | Added |
| 20-Mar-2022 05:58 | Ron Averes | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 10-Apr-2024 11:02 | Nepa | Updated [Location, Operator, ] |
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