Chicago – Chattanooga – Atlanta

Flight southbound from Chicago to Atlanta. The pilot Robert Chew was slightly injured. Original load of mail 126 pounds. 60 pounds salvaged in charred condition and forwarded by train the same day from Scottsboro. No data as to any markings applied to salvaged mail. While cruising about at 3,000 feet with zero visibility in a thick fog in the mountainous sections of Tennessee and northern Alabama, the pilot Chew was forced to take to his parachute when his motor went dead from lack of fuel. Chew made a successful leap, landing in a pasture, the plane crashing about 100 yards away, bursting into flames as it struck the ground. Chew is a veteran pilot, having flown every mail route of Eastern Air since he entered the company's service in 1931. He has 5,700 hours of flying to his credit. Since the line inaugurated its mail service in 1928, only 980 pounds of mail has been lost out of 4,277,588 pounds carried.

Flight / Schedule

Chicago – Chattanooga – Atlanta

Registration

NC10750

MSN

161

Year of Manufacture

1930

Date

November 28, 1934 at 04:45 AM

Type

CRASH

Flight Type

Postal (mail)

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Plain, Valley

Crash Location

Scottsboro Alabama

Region

North America • United States of America

Coordinates

34.6731°, -86.0339°

Crash Cause

Technical failure

Narrative Report

On November 28, 1934 at 04:45 AM, Chicago – Chattanooga – Atlanta experienced a crash involving Pitcairn PA-8 Mailwing, operated by Eastern Air Transport, with the event recorded near Scottsboro Alabama.

The flight was categorized as postal (mail) and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

1 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 1 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. Flight southbound from Chicago to Atlanta. The pilot Robert Chew was slightly injured. Original load of mail 126 pounds. 60 pounds salvaged in charred condition and forwarded by train the same day from Scottsboro. No data as to any markings applied to salvaged mail. While cruising about at 3,000 feet with zero visibility in a thick fog in the mountainous sections of Tennessee and northern Alabama, the pilot Chew was forced to take to his parachute when his motor went dead from lack of fuel. Chew made a successful leap, landing in a pasture, the plane crashing about 100 yards away, bursting into flames as it struck the ground. Chew is a veteran pilot, having flown every mail route of Eastern Air since he entered the company's service in 1931. He has 5,700 hours of flying to his credit. Since the line inaugurated its mail service in 1928, only 980 pounds of mail has been lost out of 4,277,588 pounds carried.

Aircraft reference details include registration NC10750, MSN 161, year of manufacture 1930.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 34.6731°, -86.0339°.

Fatalities

Total

0

Crew

0

Passengers

0

Other

0

Crash Summary

Flight southbound from Chicago to Atlanta. The pilot Robert Chew was slightly injured. Original load of mail 126 pounds. 60 pounds salvaged in charred condition and forwarded by train the same day from Scottsboro. No data as to any markings applied to salvaged mail. While cruising about at 3,000 feet with zero visibility in a thick fog in the mountainous sections of Tennessee and northern Alabama, the pilot Chew was forced to take to his parachute when his motor went dead from lack of fuel. Chew made a successful leap, landing in a pasture, the plane crashing about 100 yards away, bursting into flames as it struck the ground. Chew is a veteran pilot, having flown every mail route of Eastern Air since he entered the company's service in 1931. He has 5,700 hours of flying to his credit. Since the line inaugurated its mail service in 1928, only 980 pounds of mail has been lost out of 4,277,588 pounds carried.

Cause: Technical failure

Occupants & Outcome

Crew On Board

1

Passengers On Board

0

Estimated Survivors

1

Fatality Rate

0.0%

Known people on board: 1

Operational Details

Schedule / Flight

Chicago – Chattanooga – Atlanta

Flight Type

Postal (mail)

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Plain, Valley

Region / Country

North America • United States of America

Aircraft Details

Registration

NC10750

MSN

161

Year of Manufacture

1930

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