Brooks Fuel

Aviation Traders ATL-98 Carvair

The captain was making a VFR landing approach to a remote mining airstrip in a modified Douglas DC-4 airplane at the end of a cross-country nonscheduled cargo flight. The modified airplane had a raised cockpit above the fuselage to accommodate an upward swinging nose door. During the landing flare/touchdown, the airplane undershot the runway threshold, and right main landing gear struck the lip of the runway. The right main landing gear was torn off, which allowed the nose and right wing to collide with the runway surface. The right wing was torn off the fuselage and caught fire. The fuselage, containing the cargo of fuel bladders, slid to a stop and rolled about 90 degrees to the left. The pilot indicated that due to the additional cockpit height of the modified airplane, versus a standard Douglas DC-4 airplane, the airplane was lower than he perceived.

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

The flight crew was delivering a cargo of fuel in the four-engine airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 125, when the airplane lost power in the number 2 engine. The captain elected to shut the engine down and return to the airport. He said during the shutdown procedure, the engine caught fire, and that the fire extinguishing system was activated. The crew thought the fire was out, but it erupted again, and the captain elected to land the airplane gear-up on the snow covered tundra. Once on the ground, the left wing was consumed by fire. An inspection by company maintenance personnel revealed that an overhauled engine cylinder had failed at its base, resulting in a fire. The airplane was not examined by the NTSB due to its remote location.

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

The crew of the 4 engine airplane started its engines for a positioning flight from a remote mining airstrip. Following the startup of the engines, an explosion occurred in the left wing area aft of the number 1 engine firewall and number 1 auxiliary fuel tank. The airplane was parked next to the mine's fuel storage tank, and the pilot added power on the remaining engines to move away from the storage tank. Within seconds of beginning to move, the number 1 engine fell off the burning wing, followed by separation and aft folding of the outboard end of the left wing. The outboard end of the wing, however, was still attached via control cables. The pilot taxied the airplane about 200 feet, dragging the partially burning left wing segment to a pond of water and shut down the remaining engines. The crew evacuated with no injuries. Water was applied to the airplane until the fire was extinguished, about 3 1/2 hours later. NTSB and FAA personnel did not travel to the scene, and the airplane was not recovered from the mining strip. The airplane's left wing powerplant and fuel system consists of the number 1 and 2 engines. Each engine is separated from the wing by a firewall. Within the wing, from outboard to inboard, the fuel tank system consists of the number 1 fuel tank, the left wing auxiliary fuel tank, and the number 2 fuel tank. Each wet-wing type fuel tank contains a submerged electrical boost pump, sump drain valves and fuel quantity transmitters. The fuel system has selector valves, crossfeed valves, and shut-off valves for each tank. An FAA inspector examined portions of the airplane that the operator supplied. The inspector examined a portion of the upper wing surface that had been blown away from the airplane during the initial explosion. He noted that the inside of the upper wing surface, normally positioned over the auxiliary tank, was not charred or sooted. A separated portion of the lower wing surface, near the auxiliary boost pump, was sooted and charred. The aft side of the number 1 engine firewall was not charred. A portion of the number 1 engine nacelle was oily, but not sooted or charred. The operator located the auxiliary in-tank boost pump and sent it to the FAA. The boost pump impeller, encased in a small wire cage, was not melted and could be turned by hand. The body of the pump was sooted but not thermally damaged. Its wire connectors and one fuel line were melted. A smaller line, what appeared to be a return line, was not melted.

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

After landing at Bronson Creek Airport, one of the main landing gear struck a snow wall. The aircraft went out of control and came to rest. All four crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

The four engine transport category airplane was carrying a load of fuel oil for distribution to the village of kivalina. The pilot reported he flew over the 3,000 feet long by 60 feet wide strip prior to landing, and noted in the center of the runway some gravel was visible through a layer of surrounding snow. He said he could not see any snow banks or deeper snow in the landing area, and available notices to airmen did not mention any snow banks or snow berms on the runway. The pilot said the airplane landed near the threshold and on the centerline, but, the left main landing gear soon encountered a snow berm and the airplane was pulled to the left. The airplane subsequently impacted other snow berms on the left side of the runway and the nose landing gear collapsed. The U.S. Government's supplement for Alaska airports, for the Kivalina Airport, states, in part: unattended. Caution: runway condition not monitored, recommend visual inspection prior to using.

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

The captain stated there were no runway condition reports and a local contact stated the runway was in good condition. They landed and the braking action was nil. The captain maneuvered the airplane to a dry patch of dirt on the left side of the runway. When the main gear rolled onto the dry patch the airplane veered sharply to the left and departed the runway. Both crewmembers stated a go around was not possible. According to landing performance charts, the minimum landing runway length was 4,500 feet on a dry hard surface runway. The actual runway length was 3,500 feet.