Transcontinental & Western Air - TWA

Douglas DC-3

The flight was cleared to Burbank Airport for a standard instrument approach. During the approach the plane descended under instrument conditions to such a low altitude as to clip the tree tops and strike a power line pole and then crash at a point approximately 6 1/2 miles short of the Burbank Airport. In a normal approach the plane would have flown over this point at an altitude of about 1650 feet above the ground. The specific reasons for the plane's descent below the minimums for instrument approach were not determinable, nor was it possible to tell whether the deviation was a voluntary one. Investigation did reveal, however, that a number of divisions were made from the company's standard Civil Aeronautics Administration approved procedures during this flight. Both pilots and six passengers were killed. Crew: John Pollard Snowden, pilot, † Thomas Leo Bamberger, copilot, † Donna Elizabeth Marr, hostess.

Douglas DC-3

Flight 8 took off at 1600 and proceeded according to plan to a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet for Burbank on an instrument clearance. It reported over Fresno on schedule cruising at 10,000 feet and estimated Bakersfield at 1735. At 1712 the crew was last contacted by the company and given a routine message which was acknowledged. Thereafter, at intervals of a few minutes, numerous unsuccessful attempts were made to contact the flight. At no time did the captain report any difficulty with the airplane or comment on the weather. While cruising in poor weather conditions (thunderstorm and severe turbulence), the aircraft went out of control, got inverted and dove into the ground prior to crash in a field. All 24 occupants were killed.

Douglas DC-3

A mid-air collision involving aircraft of United States registry, a Douglas DC3, NC18951, and a US Army aircraft, type C-53, registered 41-20116, occurred at an altitude of between 3,500 and 3,900 feet about 4 1/4 miles northeast of the Kansas City Range Station and 1 3/4 miles north of the on course of the northeast leg of the Kansas City Radio Range. At the time of the accident, NC18951 was operating on a check flight in the vicinity of the Kansas City Municipal Airport as a part of the routine instrument flight instruction of Transcontinental & Western Air. The C-53 was on a non-stop cross-country flight from Indianapolis to Wichita via Kansas City, in the service of the US Army Air Forces. The DC-3 received major damage from the collision in the air and was demolished by the resultant crash landing in a group of small trees in the vicinity of Linden, Kansas. The C-53 received major damage as a result of the collision but succeeded in landing at the Kansas City Municipal Airport without further damage. The DC-3 captain sustained minor injuries. None of the 5 other persons involved was injured.

Douglas DC-3

About fifteen minutes after take off from Las Vegas Airport, while leveling off by night, the aircraft hit the slope of Mt Potosi located 51 km southwest of Las Vegas. All 22 occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 7,700 feet while the summit of the mountain is about 8,500 feet. The visibility was reduced by night. Among the victims was the American actress Carole Lombard, aged 33. Crew: Wayne C. Williams, pilot, M. A. Gillette, copilot, Alice Frances Getz, stewardess. Source & photos: http://www.lostflights.com/Commercial-Aviation/11642-TWA-TWA-Douglas-DC-3/5007934_mqCvFr

Douglas DC-3

On final approach in poor visibility due to fog and snow falls, while flying at 200 feet, pilots missed the runway 01 and applied full power on both engines to go around. After overflying the runway 01 for several yards, the captain made a turn at low height for a landing on runway 04 when the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed. As twelve occupants were injured, one crew member and one passenger were killed. Crew: P. T. W. Scott, pilot, O. J. DioGuardi, copilot, Mary T. Eshbach, stewardess.

Douglas DC-2

The approach was completed in a poor weather conditions with thunderstorm activity, turbulence, strong winds and heavy rain falls. On touchdown, the aircraft went out of control and came to rest upside down. All occupants were rescued while the aircraft was destroyed.

Douglas DC-3

Shortly after take off, crew encountered problems and left engine partially failed. Captain decided to return to the airport but realized this was impossible. He took the decision to attempt an emergency landing in a field near the airport. While contacting the ground, aircraft slid on several yards before coming to rest. All eleven occupants escaped without injury while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Crew: Harold Hess, pilot, Bronson White, copilot, Olga C. Harbaugh, stewardess.

Douglas DC-2

Aircraft ledft San Francisco Airport around 1930LT in good weather conditions. Two hours later, crew encountered deteriorating weather conditions and requested ATC to divert to Los Angeles. At this time, storm activity and icing conditions were reported by the crew. Two minutes later, the aircraft crashed on Mt Buena Vista located in the Yosemite National Park, near Wawona. SAR operations did not find any trace of the aircraft. Walkers eventually found the debris and all dead bodies on 12JUN1938. Crew: John Graves, pilot, C. W. Wallace, copilot, Martha Mae Wilson, stewardess. Passengers: Mr. and Mrs. Walts, Mr. V. Krause, Jay Tracy Dirlam, Mary Louise Dirlam, M. H. Salisbury, a TWA pilot.

Douglas DC-2

On final approach to Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Airport, while at a height of 500 feet, the aircraft banked left and crashed short of runway. All 13 occupants were killed.

Douglas DC-2

Difficulty was first encountered in the vicinity of Goshen, Indiana, approximately 100 miles from Chicago, when the oil pressure on the left engine raised to 90 lbs. and then gradually dropped to below 50 lbs. As the altitude at this time was about 3000 feet, the pilot climbed to 4000 feet on both engines and throttled the left engine back. He continued to climb on up to 4700 feet using the right engine alone. He advised Columbus of his trouble and was given the option of landing at South Bend, Indiana. He elected to proceed on to Chicago, his reasons for this being that direct radio communication with the South Bend airport was impossible and the lighting there was not as good as at Chicago. The flight continued until within the vicinity of Chicago Municipal Airport, with the right propeller in high pitch, the left engine stopped and the left gasoline valve shut off to save fuel. At this time, Pilot Smith requested and obtained clearance from the control tower to come into the field. He was granted the right of way over other aircraft. The surface wind over the airport was eight miles per hour. However, due to a recent thunderstorm, it was gusty and at an altitude of 2000 feet, increased to a velocity of 34 miles per hour. In approaching the airport at an elevation of about 2000 feet, using the right engine only, the wing flaps and undercarriage were lowered and the air-speed was reduced to about 80 miles per hour in preparation for landing. The winds above the airport were much stronger than the pilot had anticipated and it soon became apparent that the airplane was losing altitude too fast to reach the airport. The pilot attempted to correct this situation by use of the one engine. The effect was to turn the airplane to the left and, due to the reduced air-speed, full control movement proved ineffective against it. Before the speed of the airplane could be increased by Getting the flaps and undercarriage raised and the left engine started, it became evident that it would be impossible to reach the airport and the pilot attempted to head due south and land in an open area. The right wing struck a tree, causing the airplane to collide with a house and then strike the ground. While the aircraft was destroyed, all occupants were injured.