Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 6-18-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–17 Civil Aeronautics Board. Report…accident…NC 18146…Salt Lake City, Utah [5-1-1942]
–17 Eckert. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” AJFMP, 3/1, March 1982, 53.
–17 Edwardsville Intelligencer (IL). “Chronology of the Year 1942,” Dec 31, 1942, p. 8.
Narrative Information
Civil Aeronautics Board. Report…accident…NC 18146…Salt Lake City, Utah [5-1-1942]:
Conduct of Investigation
“An airplane accident occurred in the vicinity of Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 1, 1942, about 11:00 pm. (MWT). The airplane involved, NC 18146, was being operated at the time in scheduled air carrier service between San Francisco, California, and New York, New York, as Trip 4 of United Air Lines Transport Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “United”). All of the thirteen adult passengers and the one infant on board, and the crew of three, were fatally injured. The airplane was completely demolished….
History of the Flight
“United’s Trip 4 of May 1, 1942 originated at Sen Francisco, California, with New York, New York, as its destination. Several intermediate stops were scheduled, the first two of which were Oakland, California, and Salt Lake City, Utah. It was planned to fly contact to Blue Canyon, California, and on instruments the remainder of the trip to Salt lake City. The trip departed from San Fransisco at 5:21. p.m. and from Oakland, with 620 gallons of gasoline, at 5:57 p.m. (PWT). The gross weight of the airplane upon departure from Oakland was 25,169 pounds, which was within the permissible gross weight. The weight manifest prepared at that point shows that the load was in accordance with United’s approved loading schedule and therefor indicates that the c.g. location was within the allowable limits. Trip 4 proceeded without incident to the vicinity of Wendover, Utah, arriving over that point at 9:49 p.m. At this time the trip estimated its arrival over Salt Lake at 10:18. The trip radioed that it was changing to contact flight rules at 10:02 p.m. At 10:15 p.m., after finding it impossible to make an approach under contact flight rule, Trip 4 advised that it was climbing to 12,000 feet, westbound the west leg of the Salt Lake Radio Range, pursuant to instructions given by Airway Traffic Control. At 10:22 the trip reported that it was at 12,000 feet and estimated arrival over Salt Lake at 10:34. At 10:26, Trip 4 was cleared to the Salt Lake Range Station, number two to approach, with the option of holding at 12,000 feet on the west leg of the Salt Lake range or proceeding to Ogden, about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City, and following United’s westbound Trip 17 in. Captain Brown elected to proceed to Ogden. This resulted in a variance from standard instrument procedure for trips approaching from the west in that ordinarily such trips proceed north only to the Leyton Fan marker, about 18 miles north of the Salt Lake Range Station, before turning south for the final approach.
“At 10:32 p.m., Trip 4 reported over the Salt Lake Range Station at 12,000 feet, and at 10:47 p.m. the trip reported over the Ogden Range Station at 10,000 feet. Trip 4 received its clearance to the Tower, number one to approach, at 10:50, and 10:51 reported over the Layton marker at 8,000 feet. At 10:56, the trip reported that was contact at 6,000 feet about 10 miles north of the field, and changed over to the Salt Lake tower frequency. At 10:57, Trip 4 contacted the tower, reported that it was five miles north, approaching the range station, and received landing instructions. The message from the tower was acknowledged by Trip 4. About one or two minutes later, the airplane crashed into the side of a hill about three miles east-northeast of the range station and 3.8 miles northeast of the airport. The point of impact was at an elevation of 5,053 feet above sea level, or about 830 feet above the level of the airport.
“Witnesses who saw the airplane just before the crash testified that it was flying in a southeasterly direction and that it appeared to continue approximately on a straight course until it crashed into the hillside. One witness testified that it appeared to be turning to the right as it passed out of sight behind a ridge just before the crash….
“….According to all indications the landing gear was extended, which was normal for the final approach….
“Probable Cause. Upon the basis of the foregoing findings and of the entire record available at this time, we find that the probable cause of the accident to aircraft NC 18146 on May 1, 1942, was deviation from the proper course, for reasons undetermined, after the trip had become contact within ten miles of the airport.
Comment and Recommendations
“The investigation of this accident emphasizes the need for establishing more precise and specific operational procedures at airports where the surrounding terrain makes any deviation from established flight paths hazardous. In view of the varying conditions existing at different airports, it appears that this objective could best be accomplished by administrative procedure rather than through standards established by the Civil Air Regulations. Accordingly, the Board directed a memorandum to the Administrator of Civil Aeronautics which stated, in part, as follows:
“Specifically, we believe that under night contact conditions the approach procedures at an airport surrounded by hazardous terrain should be as precise as under instrument conditions. Particularly is this true when the approach has been started under instrument conditions and contact established before reaching the range station. In the latter case the pilot’s vision is almost invariably restricted to some degree. We also believe that procedures for ascent from such airports under flight contact conditions can be developed to increase safety without placing any material burden on either the pilot or the air carrier. This can be accomplished by requiring that at such airports a minimum altitude be reached before departure from the vicinity of the range station.”
In addition, the Board submitted the following recommendation to the Administrator of Civil Aeronautics:
“In connection with the recent accident in Salt lake City on May 1, 1942, involving United Air Lines’ plane, our staff believes that in the interest of safety the approach lights at the Salt lake City airport should be extended from the runway all the way to the range tower.”
Sources
Civil Aeronautics Board. Report of the Civil Aeronautics Board Of the investigation of an accident involving aircraft of United States registry NC 18146 which occurred near Salt Lake City, Utah, on 1 May 1, 1942. Washington DC CAB File No. 1008-42, Docket No. SA-65, adopted July 31, 1942. Accessed 6-18-2024 at: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page%3AAviation_Accident_Report%2C_United_Air_Lines_Flight_4.pdf/1
Eckert, William G. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, Vol. 3, No. 1, March 1982, Table 1.
Edwardsville Intelligencer, IL. “Chronology of the Year 1942,” Dec 31, 1942, p. 8. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=1665978
