U.S. Air Mail Service
Safety Score
9.9/10Total Incidents
68
Total Fatalities
42
Recent Incidents
Douglas M-3
En route from Cleveland to Chicago, the pilot encountered icing conditions and decided to abandon the airplane and to bail out. The aircraft crashed in a field and was destroyed while the pilot was uninjured.
Douglas M-3
En route from New Brunswick to Bellefonte, while on a night mail flight, the pilot got lost due to poor visibility caused by foggy conditions. While attempting an emergency landing, the aircraft hit a tree and crashed in the Susquehanna River off Sunbury. The pilot was rescued and the aircraft was lost.
Curtiss Carrier Pigeon
While cruising at low altitude on a mail flight from Chicago to Bryan, the single engine aircraft impacted trees and crashed in a wooded area. Sole on board, the pilot Arthur R. Smith was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
The pilot Charles H. Ames was performing a mail flight from New Brunswick to Bellefonte. Enroute, he encountered poor weather conditions and low visibility due to fog. While trying to establish a visual contact with the ground, the aircraft collided with trees and crashed in a wooded area located on Mt Nittany. As the aircraft failed to arrive in Bellefonte, SAR operations were initiated and more than 1,000 people took part to these operations. Ten days later, on October 11, a boy aged 15 found the wreckage and the dead body in a dense wooded area.
De Havilland DH.4
While cruising at an altitude of 8,200 feet in poor visibility due to foggy conditions, the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain located near Silver Zone Pass. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Chicago to Omaha, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with heavy snow falls. He abandoned the aircraft and bailed out. The aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in Kaneville. The pilot died as his parachute failed to open.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Elko to Salt Lake City, the radiator exploded, causing the engine to catch fire. The pilot attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in the Great Salt Lake Desert. The pilot was rescued and the aircraft was destroyed.
De Havilland DH.4
A pilot of the company recently died in a crash. During the funeral, another pilot completed a low pass at low speed when the aircraft impacted power cables and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Cheyenne to Omaha, the pilot encountered stormy weather. He elected to make an emergency landing when the airplane crashed in a field. The pilot was injured and the aircraft was destroyed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Bellefonte to Cleveland, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with snow falls. He reduced his altitude in an attempt to make an emergency landing when the aircraft impacted trees and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
While on a mail flight from North Platte to Cheyenne, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions when the aircraft crashed in a mountainous area. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Cleveland to Chicago, the pilot lost control of the airplane that dove into the ground and crashed in an open field located in Castalia, bursting into flames. The pilot was seriously injured but died from his injuries few hours later.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Cleveland to Chicago, the engine failed. The pilot reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing when the airplane collided with a steel tower and crashed. The pilot, sole on board, was seriously injured and died from his injuries few hours later.
De Havilland DH.4
The pilot, sole on board, departed Marina Field for a local test flight. The engine failed in flight, forcing the pilot to ditch the airplane in the San Francisco Bay. The pilot was rescued by the crew of a tugboat after an hour.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Bellefonte to Cleveland, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to foggy conditions. He reduced his altitude to maintain a visual contact with the ground when the airplane impacted a barbed wire fence and crashed, coming to rest upside down. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
The crew departed Cheyenne Airfiled on a local test flight. While flying at a height of 500 feet, the pilot initiated a sharp turn when he lost control of the airplane that entered a dive and crashed. Both occupants were killed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Rock Springs to Salt Lake City, weather conditions worsened with the presence of a storm. The pilot decided to fly over and increased his altitude till 18,000 feet when the engine lost power. The airplane entered a dive and crashed on the slope of a mountain located in the Wasatch Mountain Range. The pilot was injured and able to reach the nearest village by his own.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Salt Lake City to Rock Springs, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions, Caught by severe downdrafts, the aircraft crashed in Porcupine Ridge, a mountain located northeast of Salina, at an altitude of about 9,400 feet. The pilot survived the accident and walked for about 24 hours in negative temperature before reaching the first village.
De Havilland DH.4
After takeoff, while climbing to a height of 200 feet, the pilot initiated a sharp turn when the airplane entered a dive and crashed. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
Shortly after takeoff from Marina Field in San Francisco, while climbing to a height of about 500 feet, the aircraft was caught in an air pocket. The pilot lost control of the airplane that entered a dive and crashed. The pilot was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
Shortly after takeoff from Rock Springs, while climbing to a height of about 150 feet, the pilot apparently attempted to return when, doing a sharp turn, he lost control of the airplane that crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
On approach to Cleveland, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to foggy conditions. The aircraft impacted a bridge over the Cuyahoga River and crashed on a railway road. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
Shortly after takeoff from Mitchel Field, the pilot made a sharp turn to the left, causing the left wing to struck the ground. The aircraft went out of control and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot was seriously injured and died 8 days later.
De Havilland DH.4
Shortly after takeoff from Elko Airport, in initial climb, the aircraft stalled and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot, sole aboard, was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
Pilot Eversole jumped from the plane with parachute after takeoff from Minneapolis-Wold Chamberlain Field. The aircraft entered a dive and crashed in Mendota. The pilot was unhurt and the airplane was destroyed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Cheyenne to Salt Lake City, the oil pressure dropped to 9 or 10. The engine temperature increased to 192° and the revolutions per minute dropped to 1,200. The plane crashed on a mountain side near Telephone Canyon. The pilot was injured.
Junkers-Larsen JL-6 (Junkers F.13)
A landing was made at Lone Rock, to repair anemometer gear pump. Shortly after taking off from Lone Rock, back firing occurred and a second landing was made. Additionnal work was done on the pump and again, after getting into the air it failed to work. While circling field at La Crosse, the aircraft apparently lost control and made a nose dive. All three crew members were killed. Crew: William Carroll, pilot Hiram H. Rowe, pilot Robert B. Hill, mechanic.
De Havilland DH.4
After takeoff from Minneapolis-Wold Chamberlain Field, while climbing to an altitude of 2,500 feet, the left engine failed. The pilot made a sharp turn when the airplane side slipped and went into a nose dive. It crashed in Mendota, about 4 km east of the airfield. One occupant was killed and the second was injured. The accident occurred 10 minutes after takeoff.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Marina to Sacramento, while flying at an altitude of 2,000 over San Francisco in foggy conditions, the engine failed. The pilot elected to make an emergency landing and reduced his altitude when the airplane collided with the trolley wires and crashed in Gough Street, bursting into flames. The pilot escaped uninjured and the aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.
De Havilland DH.4
While cruising in poor visibility due to fog, the aircraft hit a mountain near Tie Siding, Wyoming. The pilot J. P. Woodward was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Checkerboard Field (Chicago) to Omaha, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to foggy conditions. While flying at low height, the airplane collided with telephone wires and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot Bryan McMullen was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Hazlehurst to Bellefonte, the pilot encountered poor visibility due to foggy conditions. He reduced his altitude to maintain a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft collided with power cables and crashed in the Susquehanna River off Millersburg. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot F. A. Robinson was killed.
Junkers-Larsen JL-6 (Junkers F.13)
The engine caught fire in flight, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. He reduced his altitude when the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field, bursting into flames. Both occupants, the pilot W. H. Stevens and the mechanic H. L. Thomas, were killed.
De Havilland DH.4
Shortly after takeoff from Cleveland Airport, while climbing, the engine failed. The pilot elected to return for an emergency landing when the airplane stalled and crashed onto a house, bursting into flames. The pilot was killed.
Junkers-Larsen JL-6 (Junkers F.13)
The crew was performing a mail flight from Hazlehurst to Cleveland. En route, the aircraft caught fire, went out of control and crashed near Morristown. Both crew members, the pilot Max Miller and the mechanic Gustav Heierson were killed.
De Havilland DH.4
The piot, sole on board, was completing a local training flight at College Park Aerodrome, practicing landings. Just after the third takeoff, the right lower wing impacted a wireless tower. The aircraft entered a dive and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot Robert Gautier was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route, the engine failed, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft made a bad landing and was damaged beyond repair. The pilot escaped unhurt.
De Havilland DH.4
After takeoff from Cleveland Airport, while climbing to a height of about 300 feet, the engine failed. The aircraft stalled and crashed, bursting into flames. Two occupants were seriously injured and the mechanic N. C. Montis was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
The pilot was forced to make an emergency landing due to lack of fuel. The airplane was damaged beyond repair and the pilot was uninjured.
De Havilland DH.4
Following a pilot error, the aircraft collided with a wireless pole over the Glenn L. Martin factory and crashed. Crew fate unknown.
De Havilland DH.4
The aircraft stalled on final approach. Crew fate unknown.
De Havilland DH.4
En route from Omaha to Iowa City, weather conditions worsened with thick fog. The pilot lost his orientation and attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in a field. While the pilot was seriously injured, the passenger was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
En route, the engine failed, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. Just before landing, the pilot lost control of the airplane while manoeuvering to avoid a telephone line. The airplane crashed and was destroyed. The pilot was injured.
De Havilland DH.4
Few minutes after takeoff from Bellefonte, the pilot encountered engine problems. He attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in a hilly terrain located north of Bellefonte. The pilot was injured and the aircraft was destroyed.
De Havilland DH.4
The pilot made a flat turn, causing the airplane to fell in spin. Crew fate unknown.
Curtiss JN-4
Shortly after takeoff from Heller Field, while climbing, the pilot lost control of the airplane that entered a dive and crashed. The passenger was killed and the pilot was seriously injured. It was reported that the passenger was unauthorized on this flight.
Curtiss R-4LM
The airplane departed Bustleton, PA, on a mail flight to Washington DC, carrying one passenger and one pilot. While cruising at an altitude of 1,700 feet, the engine caught fire. The pilot reduced his altitude to attempt an emergency landing but at a height of about 200 feet, the passenger jumped out the aircraft and fell into the ground. The aircraft crash landed and was damaged beyond repair. While the pilot escaped unhurt, the passenger died from his injuries few hours later.
De Havilland DH.4
The pilot, sole on board, departed Bellefonte, PA, on a mail flight to Heller Field, Newark, NJ. On approach, while completing a circuit to land at an altitude of about 150 feeet and a speed of 80 mph, the single engine airplane collided with the stack of the Tiffany's factory and crashed, bursting into flames. The pilot Harry Conley Sherlock aged 22 was killed.
De Havilland DH.4
The engine failed in flight, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crashed in an open field and came to rest. The pilot was rescued and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
De Havilland DH.4
The pilot, sole on board, was completing a mail flight. En route, weather conditions worsened and visibility was poor due to fog. The pilot reduced his altitude in an attempt to maintain a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft contacted trees and crashed in a wooded area. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot C. W. Stoner was killed.
Airline Information
Country of Origin
United States of America
Risk Level
Low Risk