trip 19 plane crash

Episode 1: Trip 19

About this episode:

It started with a plane crash. The tragic, mysterious crash of a commercial airliner in the summer of 1940 left a scene of devastation in rural Virginia -- and a series of unanswered questions. The cause of the crash was unclear. Among the dozens of people killed was a sitting U.S. senator. His presence on the flight and the strange circumstances surrounding the crash would end up revealing threats to American democracy itself.

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Episode 1: Trip 19 Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra

It started with a plane crash. The tragic, mysterious crash of a commercial airliner in the summer of 1940 left a scene of devastation in rural Virginia -- and a series of unanswered questions. The cause of the crash was unclear. Among the dozens of people killed was a sitting U.S. senator. His presence on the flight and the strange circumstances surrounding the crash would end up revealing threats to American democracy itself.

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Aviation Accident Report: Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 19/Summary of Evidence

SUMMARY OF EVIDENCE

There follows a summary of the evidence available to the Board at this time. This summary is made without comment. An analysis of the evidence is made under Part III of this report.

Air Carrier

Pennsylvania-Central Airlines, a Delaware corporation, was operating at the time of the accident as an air carrier under a certificate of public convenience and necessity and an air carrier operating certificate issued pursuant to the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938. These certificates authorized it to engage in air transportation with respect to persons, property, and mail between various points, including Washington, D. C., and Detroit, Michigan, via Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Akron, Ohio, and Cleveland, Ohio.

Aircraft Personnel

On the flight in question the crew consisted of Captain Lowell V. Scroggins, First Officer J. Paul Moore, and Flight Hostess Margaret Carson. In addition, John B. Staire, Jr., secretary to the District Traffic Manager, was occupying the jump seat located just behind the pilots' seats.

Captain Scroggins had accumulated a total of 11,442 hours flying time, of which 619 hours were in Douglas DC-3 type airplanes. His last physical examination, required by the Civil Aeronautics Authority, was taken on June 28, 1940, and showed him to be in a satisfactory physical condition. A number of pilots who had flown with Captain Scroggins testified that he was a competent pilot who kept himself in excellent physical condition. First Officer Moore had accumulated a total of 6,018 hours flying time, of which 219 hours were in DC-3 type airplanes. His last physical examination, required by the Civil Aeronautics Authority, was taken on June 25, 1940, and showed him to be in satisfactory physical condition. Both airmen were possessed of the required ratings and certificates of competency for the flight and equipment involved. Miss Carson of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was employed by Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Corporation on May 23, 1940, and had served as flight hostess since that date. Mr. Staire's experience was all of a clerical and administrative character, not connected with the actual operation of aircraft. He had been employed by Pennsylvania-Central Airlines on August 26, 1940.

Description of Aircraft and Equipment Prior to Take-off

Aircraft NC 21789 operated on the flight was a Douglas Model DC-3-A manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Corporation of Santa Monica, ​ California. The airplane was received from the manufacturer by the Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Corporation on May 25, 1940. It was powered with two Wright Cyclone engines, Model G-102-A, each rated at 1100 horsepower for take off and was equipped with Hamilton Standard constant speed, hydromatic, full-feathering propellers, 11 feet 6 inches in diameter, Hub Models 23 E 50 and Blade Models 6153A. This type of aircraft, equipped with engines and propellers as above described, has been extensively and successfully used in commercial air transportation in this country and abroad for a number of years.

The records of the company show that the total flying time for aircraft NC 21789 and its engines and propellers at the time the airplane left the Washington-Hoover Airport on August 31, 1940, was 565 hours and 54 minutes. The overhaul period on this type engine prescribed by the Authority for Pennsylvania-Central Airlines is 600 hours.

Following its arrival in Washington, the airplane was serviced with gasoline and oil and was given a routine "turn-around" inspection. This inspection consists of a general visual examination of the airplane, especially of the propellers, wing and tail surfaces, and the controls which are visible from the outside, and the testing of the controls, engines, instruments, and radio equipment. In addition, the interior of the airplane is cleaned and the outside surfaces wiped off. The record ​ shows that nothing unusual was discovered during the course of this inspection.

The airplane had been given the routine inspection to which it is subjected after every 60 hours of flight time on August 30, 1940. This inspection is much more detailed than the "turn-around" inspection and the record shows that nothing unusual was disclosed.

This model aircraft and its equipment had been approved by the Civil Aeronautics Authority for air carrier operation over routes flown by Pennsylvania-Central Airlines with an approved standard gross weight of 24,546 pounds. While the airplane had regular seats for 21 passengers and a crew of three, the company was authorized to carry an additional member of the crew, observer, or company employee in a jump seat located in the aisle directly behind the pilots' seats. The record shows that at the time of departure of Trip 19 from Washington, the gross weight of the airplane was 24,372 pounds, including mail, cargo, 460 gallons of fuel, 40 gallons of oil, 21 passengers [1] , a crew of three, and a company employee riding in the jump seat. The location of the center of gravity of the airplane at the time of take off was 23% of the mean aerodynamic chord of the wings.

Trip 19 was scheduled to leave Washington-Hoover Airport at 1:50 p.m. (EST) on August 31, 1940, and, in accordance with regular company procedure, was cleared by the company dispatcher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, prior to departure. The clearance was based on current sequence weather reports, United States Weather Bureau forecasts, and a trip forecast made by the company meteorologist. The pilot's flight plan stated that he would climb to an altitude of 6000 feet, cruise at 6000 feet over Martinsburg, West Virginia, and Frostburg, Maryland, and descend to 4000 feet over Scottsdale, Pennsylvania. The flight was cleared to cruise at 6000 feet by the Airway Traffic Control Center at Washington. Instructions as to the approach and landing at Pittsburgh were to ​ be given the pilot from Pittsburgh after he had reported his position over Scottsdale. The estimated time of arrival was 3:30 p.m.

The weather forecast made by the United States Weather Bureau for the Washington-Pittsburgh area for the period 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. was available to the pilot prior to take-off and the record shows that the forecast, together with sequence weather reports, was examined by the crew prior to preparation of the flight plan. The forecast predicted that overcast to occasionally broken clouds would exist from the mountains eastward, with scattered showers through the mountains and some mild thunderstorms in the afternoon. Winds aloft of 20 to 30 miles per hour at 250 to 270 degrees were forecast [2]

The trip departed from the ramp at Washington-Hoover Airport at 2:05 p.m. having been delayed awaiting a local passenger. After taxiing out to the take-off position and running the engines up preparatory to taking off, the oil gauge for the right engine showed that the oil pressure in that engine was below normal. The airplane was then taxied back to the loading ramp where, at the request of the pilot, a Pennsylvania-Central Airlines mechanic made the appropriate adjustment to the oil filter to relieve it of any sediment which might be interfering with the oil flow. After this mechanical adjustment [3] had been made, the co-pilot indicated that the oil pressure was normal, and the airplane again left the ramp at 2:18 p.m. and following a run-up of the engines at the end of the runway, took off at 2:21 p.m.

At 2:31 p.m., Trip 19 made the following position report to the Washington-Hoover Airport:

"Trip 19 Herndon fan-marker 2:31; 4000; climbing; contact."

The airplane crashed about 2:41 p.m. (EST) at a point approximately 2½ miles west of Lovettsville, Virginia, and approximately 25 miles northwest of the Herndon fan-marker. The crash occurred about one-half mile east of the base of Short Hill and approximately 5 miles to the right (i.e., northeast) of the on course signal of the northwest leg of the Washington radio range at an elevation of about 550 feet above sea level. The terrain in the immediate vicinity is rolling and consists mainly of farm land interspersed with wooded areas. Short Hill is a ridge, the crest of which rises in the neighborhood of Lovesttsville to 1300 to 1500 feet above sea level and to about 750 feet above the level of the terrain at the point where the accident occurred. This ridge, which extends about 15 miles in a generally north and south direction, is the eastern most of the major ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Course and Position of Aircraft Immediately Prior to the Accident

While no further report was received from the airplane after it reported over the Herndon fan-marker, [4] a number of witnesses living near the scene of the accident testified that they saw an airplane within the last few minutes prior to the crash [5] which they believed to be the one which was involved in it.

Mrs. Dorothy Everhart testified that she was on the back porch of her home just south of Lovettsville and approximately 3½ miles east of the scene of the accident when she saw an airplane proceeding normally in a northwesterly direction toward Short Hill, the northern portion of which was at that time obscured by dark storm clouds. She was looking in a southwesterly direction when she saw the airplane and she watched it proceed directly toward the storm. She stated that she was momentarily blinded by the brilliance of a lightning flash "just a little bit ahead" of the airplane and lost sight of it. Shortly thereafter she heard a "low rumble" of thunder and after a few seconds an "awful roaring". She testified that airplanes passed in the vicinity of her home quite frequently and that this one was "lower than most of them go". As she watched the airplane she did not hear its motors but she was sure that the "awful roar" which she had heard after the lightning flash and the rumble of thunder was the sound of the airplane. She further testified that at the time of this occurrence it was not raining at her home but that shortly thereafter the storm which had been in the vicinity of Short Hill "came on over". She described it as a very bad storm with lightning, some thunder, and extraordinarily heavy rain, but no wind. She testified that when she first saw the airplane the black clouds ​ obscured the mountains to the west and northwest but that she could see blue sky toward the south.

After the hearing investigators for the Board further questioned [6] Mrs. Everhart as to the weather conditions during that day prior to the accident. She stated that the sun had been shining off and on during the forenoon and early afternoon at her home but that the sky was overcast when she saw the airplane pass. Mrs. Everhart testified that another stroke of lightning had preceded the one she saw while watching the airplane and she believed that the former had struck the chandelier in one of the rooms of her home. After this had occurred, she turned off the electricity in the house and went out on the back porch. She said that it was while she was on the back porch that she saw the airplane and the flash of lightning which blinded her. With the assistance of the investigators as described in Footnote 7 she estimated that the time intervening between the second lightning flash and the ​ beginning of the "roaring noise" was 7 seconds. The point designated by her as the one at which she had seen the airplane just before she was momentarily blinded by lightning was 3½ degrees above the horizontal on a bearing of 255 degrees magnetic.

Mr. Carroll McGaha testified that he and his son were standing in the yard of their home located 4¼ miles southeast of the scene of the accident and approximately 4 miles to the right of the on course signal of the northwest leg of the Washington radio range when they observed an airplane pass over flying in a northwesterly direction. He stated that the airplane was proceeding normally at about the altitude at which he usually observed transport airplanes pass over flying in a northwesterly direction. His attention was particularly attracted to the plane because it was proceeding directly toward the dark storm clouds then in the vicinity of Short Hill. As the airplane approached the storm he saw a sharp "streak of lightning" which appeared "directly ahead" and "in line" with the airplane and saw the airplane go "straight down". After starting down, the witness stated that the plane "made a roar" which was distinctly heard by him and his son at the point where they were standing. After the roar had stopped, he heard a "rumble" of thunder. He then ran to the back of his farm, thinking that the airplane had crashed there.

Investigators for the Board again questioned Mr. McGaha at his home some time after the hearing and he explained in more detail his observation of the action of the airplane immediately following the lightning flash. He stated that the airplane seemed to go straight down until it passed from his view behind corn growing on a knoll located between the point where he was standing and that at which the airplane struck the ground. He said that he could see the flat surfaces of the wings and the tail above them. In answer to questions asked by the investigators he also stated that the sun had been shining at his place late in the morning of the day of the accident, but ​ that a little after 2:00 or 2:15 p.m. black clouds gathered in the northwest, heavy rain appeared to be falling there, and the sky overhead became overcast to a point just east of his home. Although the rain storm approached within ¼ mile, the witness stated that there was no rainfall at his house that afternoon.

Questions were also asked of the witness as to the flight path of the airplane he had seen. The point at which he said he first observed it was almost directly west of him (280 degrees magnetic) and at an angle above the horizontal of approximately 80 degrees. The point indicated by the witness as that reached by the airplane at the time of the lightning flash was at an angle of about 11 degrees above the horizontal on a bearing of 316 degrees magnetic and the point at which it passed from view was found to be approximately 4 degrees above to horizontal.

Mr. McGaha's son, Warren McGaha, corroborated the testimony of his father. Like his father, he stated that he often saw airplanes fly over and that this one was at just about the same altitude as such airplanes usually flew. He also testified to seeing the flash of lightning just ahead of the airplane and stated that it immediately "went right straight down".

At the time the investigators were questioning Mr. McGaha at his home, two large twin-motored airplanes similar to the one involved in the accident passed over, proceeding in a northwesterly direction, one at an altitude higher than the other. Both Mr. McGaha and his son were asked as to whether either of these airplanes was at the approximate altitude of the one concerning which they had testified. They stated that the lower one appeared to be about at that altitude. Subsequent inquiry revealed that one of these airplanes was an Army B-18 bomber which had left Bolling Field, Washington, D. C. at 4:55 p.m. enroute to Patterson Field, Dayton, Ohio, and the other was Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Trip 7-1 which had departed Washington for Pittsburgh at 4:59 p.m. Upon inquiry the Army pilot stated that ha was cruising at about ​ 6000 feet altitude at the time of passing in the vicinity of Lovettsville and the Pennsylvania Central Airlines' pilot said that he had just about reached his cruising altitude of 8000 feet when he reached that area.

Mrs. Fannie Ridgeway testified that at about 2:30 on the afternoon of August 31, 1940, she was sitting on the porch of her home which is approximately 3¾ miles southeast of the scene of the accident and saw an airplane fly over, headed in a northwesterly direction toward heavy storm clouds gathered over Short Hill. These clouds obscured her view of Short Hill. She was looking toward the south when she saw the airplane. She paid little attention to it since, as compared with other airplanes which she had seen pass over, there was nothing unusual in its operation either as to the sound of the motors or the altitude at which it was flying. Mrs. Ridgeway testified that after seeing the plane pass over she re-entered the house and a few minutes thereafter heard a "roaring noise". However, she was unable positively to identify this noise, describing it only by the statement that it sounded like a "truck going down the pike". She stated that while she saw no lightning, she did hear thunder.

Investigators for the Board again questioned Mrs. Ridgeway at her home subsequent to the hearing as to the weather on the day of the accident. She stated that the sun had been shining at her home all morning and that it had been very warm with very little wind blowing. At about 1:00 p.m. she observed a dark cloud in the southwest in the vicinity of Short Hill and it appeared to be raining in that direction. The point at which she said she saw the airplane was at an angle of 37 degrees above the horizontal on a bearing of 201 degrees magnetic.

Mrs. Hattie Hickman testified that she was standing in the yard of her home, which is located about 2½ miles southeast of the scene of the accident, when her attention was directed to an airplane which was flying much lower than such airplanes usually flew near her home. She stated that the plane was going ​ northwest toward Short Hill which at that time was covered by a dark storm cloud. Shortly thereafter she went to the house and while inside, she heard an unusual noise. She was unable to identify the noise precisely, stating that it "sounded like an old truck". The witness testified that about 10 or 15 minutes after the airplane passed over, an unusually heavy rainstorm began but that there was not much wind and she heard only one clap of thunder.

Subsequent to the hearing, the Board's investigators again questioned Mrs. Hickman and in the manner described in Footnote 7 assisted her in estimating the elapsed time between the various events recounted in her testimony. According to her statement she saw the airplane, saw lightning, heard thunder and then this unusual noise. The time recorded was 50 seconds between the sight of the airplane and the lighting, 4 seconds between the lighting and the thunder, and 12 seconds between the thunder and the unusual noise. The point at which Mrs. Hickman said she saw the airplane was at an angle of 36 degrees above the horizontal on a bearing of 301 degrees magnetic.

H. O. Vincell testified that he was sitting on the front porch of his home, which is located about 2½ miles southeast of the scene of the accident when his attention was drawn to a large airplane flying "a little lower than common." He stated that he watched the airplane proceed toward Short Hill which was then obscured by a dark storm cloud until it "disappeared into a fog". Shortly thereafter he saw a "pretty sharp" stroke of lightning, heard thunder, and then a "devil of a noise" which he later described as a crash. Thinking that the airplane was going to fall on his house, Mr. Vincell ran out into the yard. Testifying with respect to the weather at this time, he stated that it was overcast at his home with a dark cloud hanging over Short Hill. The Hill was "white with fog". Mr. Vincell stated that a heavy rain started about five or ten minutes after he saw the airplane.

​ After the hearing, the Board's investigators again questioned Mr. Vincell and he stated that the airplane was silver and very bright. He said that he could see the landing wheels extended below the airplane and the windows of the cabin and that the sound of the airplane as it passed over was smooth and not very loud, with no drumming.

Mr. Charles Bailey testified that he was standing near his home which is located on the west side of Short Hill about one-half mile from its base (the scene of the accident is on the east side of Short Hill, 2½ miles east of Mr. Bailey's home) when he saw what he described as a three-motored airplane cross over Short Hill at a low altitude going west and make a sharp left turn back east. He stated that he could see the landing wheels of the airplane and noticed particularly the revolving propeller in the nose motor. Shortly after seeing this airplane turn back over the mountain, he heard a loud roar of motors and a crash. He testified that at the time he saw this airplane a storm was approaching from the west.

Mrs. Lydia Jacobs, who lives about 300 yards west of the scene of the accident, testified that she was sitting in her home at approximately 2:30 on the afternoon of August 31, 1940, when she saw a "flash of lightning", heard a "hard clap of thunder", and then heard a noise which she described as a "siren" or "scream". She then went to the door looking out in the direction from which the noise came and saw what looked like "a fire in the sky" or a "a streak of fire" or "a burnt up building floating through the air". She described, the flame as "blue looking". Then an explosion occurred which jarred her almost off her feet. She testified that the object went through the air from southeast to northwest ​ slanting downward. At the time this occurred she stated that it was raining harder than she had ever seen it rain before.

Accident investigators for the Board again questioned Mrs. Jacobs after the hearing and she stated that it had been overcast all day in the vicinity of her home and some rain had fallen in the morning. The investigators also attempted to assist Mrs. Jacobs in estimating the time which elapsed between the flash of lightning and the crash by having Mrs. Jacobs retrace her movements between those two events. The time recorded was 10 seconds.

Her son, Garland Jacobs, testified that during this torrential rainstorm he was sitting in his car near their home and saw a "hard streak of lightning", heard thunder, and then a loud roar of motors "like the plane was taking a nose dive". He thought that the roar of motors continued for as much as 30 seconds. He looked in the direction from which the sound came just in time to see a streak of fire slanting downward toward the spot at which the airplane crashed. He heard the crash and an explosion.

Mrs. Viola Thompson, who lives about 400 yards west of the scene of the accident, testified that she was in the kitchen of her home watching the rain, which she described as being the hardest that she had seen in several years, when she heard a "terrible roaring" which sounded as if it were very near her home. She recognized the sound as that of an airplane and, fearing that it would hit her house, ran upstairs and looked out of the window. She testified that she heard the crash and a loud ​ explosion, and saw an accompanying blaze. She saw what she described as "balls of fire" rolling across the alfalfa and corn fields directly ahead of the point at which the airplane crashed.

Following the procedure previously described, investigators for the Board, who called upon Mrs. Thompson after the hearing, recorded the length of the period during which the said she heard the roaring noise and the crash and saw the "balls of fire" as 19 seconds.

Mr. Richard Thompson, the husband of Mrs. Viola Thompson, stated that he was standing in the kitchen of their home when he was startled by an "awful racket, the motor running just about as fast as I thought it could run". He said that he saw the airplane passing by the house and immediately heard the crash. Both he and Mrs. Thompson testified that they had not seen any lightning or heard thunder immediately preceding the crash. Mr. Thompson subsequently stated to investigators of the Board that he had seen no fire around the airplane prior to the crash. [7]

The testimony of these witnesses is conflicting in some instances but it is set out here without comment. It will be discussed in Part III of this report.

Location of the Wreckage

Aircraft, Engines, and Equipment

Investigation conducted at the scene of the accident revealed that the airplane had struck the ground on the edge of an alfalfa field in a nose-down attitude. The character of the impression made in the soft ground and the fact that the corn standing about eight feet high and about twelve feet behind the point of impact was not affected by the passage of the airplane, indicated that the angle at which the airplane struck was between twenty and forty degrees to the horizontal. The impression made in the ground and the condition of the left wing showed that that wing was slightly lower than the other. The form of the impression and the distribution of the wreckage also indicated that the heading of the airplane at the time of impact was approximately 310 degrees magnetic, the course on which it would normally be flown at that point on the airway between Washington and Pittsburgh. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that the directional gyro when found was jammed at a heading of 310 degrees.

The wreckage was thrown forward and scattered thickly over a distance of approximately 1000 feet, with isolated pieces even further. No parts of the airplane structure or power plants were found behind the point of impact. [8] The fuselage, except for the extreme rear portion, was disintegrated, and the area forward of the point of impact was showered with pieces of various sizes and shapes.

​ The engines and nose portion of the fuselage plowed into the ground to a depth of approximately six feet. The nose section of the right engine, propeller hub, and one blade of the propeller, still attached to the hub, and the nose section of the left engine, propeller hub, and two blades of the propeller, broken off at the shank, remained in the hole.

The right and left landing wheels and landing gear were about 50 feet beyond the point of impact. The left elevator and part of the left stabilizer were about 150 feet forward of the point of impact and about 30 degrees to the left. The right stabilizer, right elevator, fin, rudder, a portion of the left stabilizer, and the extreme rearward portion of the fuselage to which they were still attached, were about 150 feet directly ahead of the point where the airplane first struck the ground.

The power section of the right engine with some cylinders and pistons broken off was about 300 feet forward and slightly to the right of the direction of flight at the time of impact. The power section of the left engine was about 325 feet forward and slightly to the left of the point of impact. Portions of the rear sections and accessories of both engines were strewn along the way.

The left wing was about 350 feet forward and slightly to the left of the point of impact. The right wing was about 300 feet forward and slightly to the right of the point of impact. Other parts of the aircraft structure were found near both wings. Comparatively large portions of the forward part of the passenger cabin were about 450 feet forward of the point of impact. ​ Pieces of fuel tanks, numerous parts of the aircraft skin and structure, and parts of the flaps were strewn for a distance of approximately 1000 feet from the point of impact. The major portion of the left aileron, the tip of which was detached, was about 260 feet forward and slightly to the left of the point of impact. All seats in the cabin and pilots' compartment were scattered over a distance of about 800 feet forward of the point of impact.

One blade from the right propeller, which had broken off at the shank, was approximately 150 feet forward of the point of impact. Another blade from the same propeller was approximately 250 feet forward, while the remaining blade from the left propeller was forward about 1800 feet and 35 degrees to the left of the line of flight.

The radio transmitter, receivers, and the antenna systems were scattered over a distance of about 500 feet forward of the point of impact.

Contents of Aircraft

Almost all of the contents of the aircraft were strewn forward of the point of impact. However, a number of pieces of paper believed to have been in the plane were found to the southwest, south, and southeast of the crash. A threshing crew of ten men were in a barn about 1¼ miles southeast of the scene of the accident waiting for the rain to stop when they heard a loud roar of motors and, according to some of them, a crash. Shortly thereafter they saw a piece of paper come fluttering down and one of them retrieved it. It was found to be a manila envelope with the name "Pennsylvania-Central Airlines" printed on it. It was burned around the edges. The time interval estimated by the witnesses between the crash and the appearance of the envelope was from 2 to 30 minutes but most of them believed it to have been less than 5 minutes.

​ Another piece of paper, also burned around the edges, was found in a cornfield located a little less than a mile southeast of the scene of the accident. The piece is about 3 inches wide and 5 inches long. One of the Pennsylvania-Central Airlines flight calculators furnished for the convenience of the passengers was found in a stubble field about ⅞ of a mile southeast of the point of impact. This flight calculator, which weighs .11 of an ounce, is composed of two circular pieces of light cardboard, one about 1½ and the other about 3½ inches in diameter, held together by a pin through their centers. It was badly soiled but not burned. Two Pennsylvania-Central Airlines passenger manifest forms were found about ⅜ of a mile almost due south of the point of impact. These forms are 13 inches long by 8 inches wide, and when found were folded once and were burned around the edges. Two other passenger manifest forms were picked up nearby. These were folded twice and burned around the edges.

A light piece of cardboard, approximately 11 inches in length by 4 inches in width, was found about ⅛ mile southeast of the point of impact. It was identified as Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Form No. 248, with the words "Sorry, this seat is occupied" printed thereon. This paper was burned around the edges.

A number of pieces of paper, all identified as coming from the wreckage, were found about 300 yards southeast of the point of impact. Some of these pieces of paper showed indications of fire, while others showed none.

The bodies of the passengers and crew were all found forward of the point of impact beginning at a distance of about 250 feet and extending ​ to about 1240 feet. Several timepieces, including a number of watches and one alarm clock, were found among the wreckage. They were all badly damaged, and only three were in such condition as to show the time at which they had stopped. One of these had stopped at 2:39, one at 2:40 and the other at 2:42.

Condition of the Wreckage

Aircraft Structure and Controls

Following the inspection of the wreckage at the scene of the accident, the remains of the airplane structure were moved to the Washington-Hoover Airport where a more complete inspection of all parts was made. All major component parts of the airplane were accounted for but because of the large area over which numerous small pieces of the wreckage were scattered, it was impossible, under the circumstances, to prevent souvenir hunters from carrying some of the smaller fragments away. A number of pieces taken away were subsequently recovered.

The right and left landing wheels and landing gear were in a badly broken condition, both tires had been blown out by impact, end the right tire was partially burned.

The left elevator and the rear portion of the left stabilizer were badly damaged and a small portion of the fabric on the elevator was butted just forward of the center hinge. The forward portion of the left stabilizer, the right stabilizer, vertical fin, rudder, and the extreme rear portion of the fuselage were still attached. The stabilizers and vertical fin had apparently been damaged by contact with the ground following impact. These parts had been thrown forward about 200 feet from the point of impact. The rudder showed very little damage except that part of the fabric had been burned away. The trim tabs on the elevators were in cruise position, taking into consideration the distribution of the load carried on the airplane.

​ The left wing was badly damaged. It was broken in several places and the tip was detached. The main portion of the right wing was intact but badly damaged and the tip of this wing was also detached. The left aileron was broken in two and otherwise badly damaged.

The upholstering on some of the seats and on the forward portion of the passenger cabin had been partially burned. Some of the seat belts were broken in two, others had pulled loose at their attachment fittings, and others were still attached to pieces of the seat structure.

Although the fire extinguishers in the engine nacelles and passenger cabin were badly damaged, it was possible to determine with certainty that they had not been used.

A complete inspection of the remains of the control system showed the control columns and rudder pedals in the cockpit to have been badly broken and damaged, and in tracing out the controls, many breaks were found. The throttle and propeller pitch controls were found in full forward position and bent over the control column. The ignition switches and fuel valves were found in the "on" position. Other switches, valves, and controls were so damaged as to make it impossible to determine their position at the tine of impact.

The instruments which were located were, with the exception of the gyroscopic compass, damaged to such an extent that no readings could be taken. The front of this instrument had been dented so as to hold the compass card in a fixed position. The heading indicated was 310 degrees.

Such glass as was found, both cockpit and cabin, had been broken into small bits. A great many small pieces which were found immediately ahead of the point of impact were identified as having come from both the windshield and cabin windows. Some glass was also found from 300 to 400 feet forward of the point of impact.

The engines were badly damaged and broken. The entire nose section of the right engine, including the reduction drive gear, cam, propeller shaft, and pinions had been sheared off and were in one group. The forward end of the crankshaft was broken off just in front of the reduction drive gear lock nut. The bolts holding the stationary gear to the front section were sheared off, permitting the stationary gear to revolve. The reduction gear drive splines were damaged when the reduction gear came off. All cylinders were damaged and a number of the heads broken off.

The rear section was broken away from the power case and all parts were badly damaged. The supercharger was broken off adjacent to the cap screws which held it to the main section. The power section of the crank case (steel) was badly distorted. The master rod assembly and the internal portions of the crankshaft, together with the articulating rods, were intact although badly bent. The kelmet material in the master rod bearing was in good condition. However, the lead plating on the master rod bearing shell showed indications of heat. The master rod bearing shell was loose in the rod, but there was no indication of galling. The end seal disc was battered, and a considerable quantity of lead from the master rod bearings had re-deposited itself on the face of the seal disc. The end seal spacer was very badly damaged by the forces resulting from the sudden stoppage of the propeller. Knuckle pins Nos. 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8 were discolored near the oil flats. The crankshaft main bearing journal showed signs of overheating on the inner side of the crank throw. This indication of overheating covered the entire length of the bearing surface over an area approximately 180 degrees ​ around the shaft. The supercharger impeller was badly damaged and practically all of the blades had been broken off. The thrust bearing was badly broken, apparently due to impact.

The condition of the left engine was very similar to that of the right engine. In fact, the condition of the master rod bearings, the crankshafts, knuckle pins, impellers, and gears from the two engines were so nearly identical that it would be almost impossible to distinguish between them.

Both engines showed metal to metal contact between the master rod bearings and the crank pins, the oil film usually separating them apparently having broken down. The National Bureau of Standards, after examination of the engine parts sent to it, reported that no evidence of mechanical, structural, or fatigue failure or lightning strike prior to impact had been found.

Upon disassembly of the right propeller it was found that the dome section was not badly damaged, except that the breather cap had been broken off. The piston and rotating cam assembly was intact and not badly broken. The gear segments of all three blades had been split at a point near the 4th, 5th, and 6th teeth from the low pitch end. The condition of the bevel blade races indicated that heavy loads had been applied. Several of the rollers still remaining in the retainers were split. Cracks were apparent in the micarta barrel blocks at the shoulders. The blade butts from which the two blades had been broken off were intact at the hub. These two blades had also been fractured near the tips, apparently by impact. The one blade remaining with the hub was not fractured but showed indications of power bends.

​ The dome of the left propeller had an impression in it about six inches in diameter, apparently caused by impact. All three blades of this propeller had been broken off close to the shank. Two blades had the tips torn off and were otherwise badly bent and twisted. The third blade was located some 1800 feet from the point of impact and, while it was intact, it was quite badly twisted in the form which would indicate a power bend. The gear segments on all three blades of the left propeller were split in the same way as those on the right. The rotating cams on both propellers had stopped in a position which would indicate to a pitch angle of the blades of about 24 degrees.

The National Bureau of Standards examined the propeller parts and reported that there was no evidence of mechanical, structural or fatigue failure or lightning strike prior to impact.

Radio Equipment

All radio equipment, including receivers, transmitter, accessories, and antennae systems, was badly damaged. Careful inspection failed to reveal any arcing or burning effect which might to expected from a lightning strike. The anti-static discharge cartridge had not been discharged. The anti-static loop antenna was adjusted in the anti-static position (parallel with the fuselage). The loop tuning dial was turned to the Richmond radio range. [9] Minute inspection of all wiring did not indicate any burning or fusing. Only one the pilots' radio headbands was found and it was badly twisted. None of the radio earphones was found. These parts, composed of hard rubber, may have completely disintegrated at the time of impact.

Weather Observations

As we have stated previously, the weather forecast predicted overcast to occasionally broken clouds from the mountains eastward with scattered showers through the mountains and some mild thunder storms to the east of the mountains.

In addition to the Lovettsville witnesses, whose testimony has been set out previously, a number of other witnesses testified at the hearing, or gave statements after the hearing, with respect to the actual weather conditions existing on August 31, 1940, in the vicinity of the accident. The testimony of the residents in the vicinity of Lovettsville presents a consistent picture of the weather conditions in that area at the time of the crash, as observed from the ground. A rain storm was passing over Short Hill, which several described as extraordinary in its intensity.

A number of these witnesses stated that, while they had not noticed much lightning in connection with the storm, they recalled a violent flash of lightning and the sound of thunder which was immediately followed by an extraordinarily loud roar of motors. Some of these witnesses in the immediate vicinity of the point of impact testified that the loud roar of motors was followed by a "crash" or "blast".

Mr. I. W. Baker, who lives about 3¼ miles almost due south of the scene of the accident watched the storm with "rolling and tumbling" clouds come across Short Hill. Shortly thereafter it began to rain and then he saw a "terrific strike of lightning with a very loud explosion like thunder". One minute and twenty seconds later he heard a "terrific racing of engines like something had dropped from the sky". He computed the elapsed time between ​ the lightning flash and the sound of the engines by retracing the movements he had made during that period. He later found that this stroke of lightning had struck and damaged his barn and had shattered the butt of a rifle which had been standing inside the barn.

After the hearing, investigators for the Board questioned Harry E. Everhart who lives about 1½ miles southeast of the scene of the accident. He stated that at about 1:30 P.M. he noticed a dark cloud on the west side of Short Hill coming toward the east. At that time it was overcast over his home but to the east broken clouds appeared. At some time after 2:30 P.M. he saw a "fierce flash of lightning" followed immediately by a "fairly loud clap of thunder" and then he heard "a roaring of engines" which was so loud that it sounded as if it were over his house. By retracing the movements he had made while these events were occurring, he determined that the time which elapsed while he saw the flash of lightning, heard the thunder, and the roaring of engines was about 15 seconds.

Miss Virgie Mentzer, who lives almost 1¼ miles southeast of the scene of the accident, stated that a torrential rainstorm began near her home about 2:30 P.M. on the afternoon on August 31. She said that a short time after the rain began she saw a "blinding flash of lightning" and immediately thereafter heard a "terrible crash" which "shook the house". George Pendley, a boy who was working for Miss Mentzer on the day of the accident, corroborated her statement with respect to the lighting flash and the crash. In addition, he stated that he was standing with his hands on the zinc top of a table in the kitchen when "the lighting came in the kitchen" and "stung me three times before I could get them off the table".

​ Mrs. Loila Shoemaker, whose home is located on the east side and right at the base of Short Hill about 1/4 mile west of, and somewhat above, the scene of the accident, stated that a torrential downpour began about 2 o'clock in the afternoon of August 31. She saw some lightning and heard some thunder during the rain storm and she said that about 2:45 p.m. she heard a strange noise, so loud that she put her hands over her ears. The sound was over in less than a minute. She stated that just after she heard this sound the wind was blowing "fairly strong" in an easterly direction from the mountain. She noticed the treetops were banding over.

The record contains statements by several pilots who were flying the Washington-Pittsburgh airway near the scene of the accident within a few minutes of the time it occurred. Two of these pilots were operating Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Trips 8 and 8-1, the former reaching a point about 10 miles south of the scene of the accident at approximately 2:35 p.m., and the latter at approximately 2:50 p.m. Both of these pilots stated that with the exception of about two or three minutes of instrument flying shortly after leaving Pittsburgh they flew by visual reference to the ground approximately as far as Charles Town, West Virginia. As they approached Charles Town they saw a cloud formation which extended several thousand feet above the altitude at which they were flying. They were descending at this point and entered the cloud formation at 6000 feet, Trip 8 breaking out under the overcast at 3000 feet about five miles west of Leesburg, Virginia, and Trip 8-1 breaking out at 3000 feet about three miles southwest of Leesburg. When they broke out Trip 8 was about 10 miles south of the scene of the accident, and Trip 8-1 was about 14 miles southeast. Both stated that they encountered ​ heavy rain while in the overcast. While Trip 8-1 experienced no turbulence, Trip 8 reported "slight choppiness" just as he broke out of the overcast. There was no precipitation after breaking through the clouds west of Leesburg.

An American Airlines pilot, operating between Cincinnati and Washington, followed the same descending course at about the same altitudes, passing a point about 10 miles south of the scene of the accident at approximately 2:10 p.m. He reported light rain, light turbulence, but no indication of lightning.

An Army airplane on route from Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, to Bolling Field, Washington, D. C., passed about 12 miles south of the scene of the accident about 2:35 p.m. The pilot reported that after passing the south leg of the Buckstown, Pennsylvania, radio range flying at 5000 feet above sea level on instruments, heavy rain and extraordinarily rough air conditions were encountered. This condition continued until he emerged from the overcast at an altitude of 1500 feet about five miles east of Leesburg, Virginia, and 15 miles southeast of the scene of the accident. He stated that he saw lightning to the north while passing the Lovettsville area.

Flight reports by other pilots which were received in evidence serve to indicate weather conditions in the general area south and southwest of Lovettsville on the afternoon of August 31. A pilot flying a Luscombe airplane departed Washington-Hoover Airport at about 12:09 p.m. on August 31, on route to Los Angeles, California, with Pittsburgh as his first intended intermediate stop. This airplane was all metal, single-engined, and of natural aluminum color with a red stripe along the fuselage and around the nose. The flight was to be made solely by visual reference to the ground ​ and not by instrument navigation. He stated that he encountered an overcast condition with about 1500-foot ceiling in the vicinity of Lovettsville, Virginia, and could see a well-defined front of a thunderstorm in the mountains to the west. He was unable to see the northern limits of the thunderstorm area but he estimated that it extended about 50 miles to the south of him. He attempted to skirt the storm area by going north but finally was forced to land near Middletown, Maryland, at about 12:54 p.m. due to low ceiling and poor visibility. He took off again at 1:22 p.m. and returned to Washington, arriving at about 2:05 p.m. This pilot again departed Washington-Hoover Airport at 3:21 p.m. (EST). He stated that he encountered a severe storm in the vicinity of Leesburg, Virginia, and flew under the clouds to the vicinity of Hillsboro, Virginia, where contact flight became impossible and he was forced to return to Washington, landing the second time at 4:22 p.m. (EST).

Approximately three hours prior to the accident, an Army B-18 bombing plane, when approximately 25 or 30 minutes outside of Washington en route to Pittsburgh, encountered turbulence at 10,000 feet above sea level which the pilot described as exceptional in his experience. Lighting was encountered in close proximity of the plane. At approximately 1:45 p.m., after landing at the Pittsburgh Airport, the pilot reported this experience on the flight from Washington to the clerk on duty at the Air Corps Operations Office at Pittsburgh.

An Army pilot departed Bolling Field at 2:55 p.m., August 31, en route to Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. The flight proceeded on the Washington Pittsburgh airway to a point approximately twelve miles northwest of ​ Washington, at which time the pilot altered his heading and took a direct course to Dayton. At about 3:15 p.m., this flight passed some twenty miles south of the scene of the accident and the pilot stated that he maintained contact with the exception of a short period of instrument flying, during which there was a very heavy downpour of rain, slight turbulence, and no lightning.

• ↑ List of passengers is shown in Appendix A .
• ↑ See Appendix B for weather analysis, official Weather Bureau forecast, and hourly sequence reports.
• ↑ To be discussed hereinafter on page 52 .
• ↑ See Appendix E for radio messages in connection with the flight.
• ↑ See Appendix C for a map of the Lovettsville area showing the scene of the accident and location of the witnesses.
• ↑ A number of witnesses residing in the vicinity of Lovettsville testified at the hearing that they had seen an airplane or heard sounds which they believed had come from an airplane in that vicinity at about the time of the accident and which they associated with it. After a consideration of their testimony subsequent to the hearing, it appeared that it would be in the interest of a full and complete investigation to secure more precise statements from them as to the weather conditions on the day of the accident, the position and altitude at which they had seen the airplane to which they referred, and the time intervals which elapsed between various events or sounds to which they had testified, such as the stroke of lightning, the sound of thunder and the sound of motors. For this reason investigators of the Board called upon these witnesses again, took additional statements from them, and in almost all cases attempted to assist them in estimating the elapsed time during particular periods in question by having them retrace the movements they had made during those periods and recording the time with a stop watch. In order to determine the position at which the witnesses stated they saw the airplane, they were requested to stand at the place at which they were standing when they saw it and indicate as best they could the point at which they had seen it. Then, through the use of a transit, the investigators determined the direction of this point from the witness and its angle above the horizontal.
• ↑ The testimony of other witnesses from the Lovettsville area will be set out under a section entitled "Weather Observations".
• ↑ Appendix D, attached hereto, is a sketch showing the relative positions of the major components of the aircraft following impact.
• ↑ The evidence showed that a company mechanic at Washington had tuned it to this position prior to departure.

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25 Killed When Passenger Plane Crashes – The Coshocton Tribune (1940)

September 1, 1940 Newspaper

25 Killed When Passenger Plane Crashes

Senator lundeen of minnesota is one of air tragedy victims, several government officials lose lives in worst airplane accident u. s. has even seen; probe is on, the coshocton (ohio) tribune, september 1, 1940, lovettsville, va. —.

U. S. Sen. ERNEST LUNDEEN of Minnesota and 24 other passengers were killed Saturday when a shiny new Pennsylvania Central Airlines transport crashed and exploded during a severe thunderstorm.

Some witnesses reported having seen indications of fire aboard the plane before it hit into a muddy field and burst into countless pieces.  Several agreed that the impact brot[sic] an explosion and a burst of flame that lighted up the cloud-darkened countryside. Part of one body was hurled 2,000 feet from the wreckage.  It was the worst airplane accident in this country’s experience, the next worst one having killed 19 persons.  It ended a no-fatality record by domestic airlines that lasted one year, five months and five days. It was the first fatal accident in PCA’s 13 years of operation.

Loaded To Capacity

The plane was loaded to capacity with passengers from Washington, D. C. It was bound for Pittsburgh, Akron, Cleveland and Detroit.  In addition to Senator LUNDEEN a farmer-laborite who was one of the senate’s most vigorous and outspoken members, there were many other government officers aboard. The included WILLIAM GARBOSE, an attorney in justice department’s criminal division; JOSEPH J. PESCI, a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; MISS MARGARET TURNER, a secretary in the FBI; and two internal revenue bureau men.  Federal investigators, headed personally by Chairman HARLLEE BRANCH of the Civil Aeronautics Board, speeded here from Washington, only about 50 miles away.

The plane left Washington at 2:18 p. m. EST. In little more than half an hour it crashed on a gentle knoll in an alfalfa patch on the farm of WALTER BISHOP. The members of the BISHOP family gave a graphic description of what they heard and saw during the seconds preceding the crash.

“Road and Flash”

“My husband was out on the front porch with the children watching the storm,” MRS. CLARENCE BISHOP said. “All of a sudden there was a roar and a big crash, which lighted up the whole inside of the house with a bright flash. My husband pushed the children inside because we thot[sic] something was going to hit us. I never saw the plane.”  CLARENCE BISHOP said he thot [sic] the pilot might have seen Short Hill mountain up ahead of him and gunned the motors to circle and get over it.

ERNEST GRAHAM, who with other threshers had taken refuge beside their machine during the storm, reported the mysterious evidence of fire preceding the crash. He was about half a mile from the point of crash.  “As the plane swooped down over us we saw a piece of paper coming down and it was on fire,” GRAHAM said. “The rain was fierce then an it was out before it hit the ground.”  GRAHAM retrieved the charred paper and found it was a partially burned Pennsylvania Central Airlines form, carrying at the top in small letters “Form of PCA No. 252.” Beneath this heading was “Pennsylvania Central Air Line Corp., Allegheny county Airport, Pittsburgh.” The remainder of the form was not legible.

No one actually saw the plane strike the ground, but the BISHOP family and others near the scene agreed that there was an explosion. The fragments of the wreckage tended to confirm this.  The plane crashed about 400 yards from the BISHOP house. Fragments of the motor were blown over the house. A part of one body was 2,000 feet from where the motors were imbedded in the mud.  The bodies were scattered over a radius of 500 yards. DR. JOHN GIBSON, Loudon county coroner, took charge of the almost impossible identification work.

When investigators reached the scene tonight, oil flares illuminated the alfalfa field, which was roped off and placed under guard at orders of CAB inspectors.

Access to the scene was difficult. The storm, of cloudburst proportions, was called the worst this extreme northern part of Virginia has seen in 10 years. Many roads were blocked off due to washouts. Flickering oil flares marked great chasms in the roads.

Fatalities in Crash Listed

PITTSBURGH – Pennsylvania Central Airlines Saturday night issued the following list of passengers and crew members aboard the airliner which crashed near Lovettsville, Va.

Crew Members Capt. LOWELL SCROGGINS, Washington, D. C.; J. P. MOORE, first officer, Washington, D. C.; Hostess, MARGARET CARSON, Pittsburgh.

Passengers U. S. Sen. ERNEST LUNDEEN, F-L, Minnesota; DR. C. D. COLE, Washington, D. C.; E. J. TARR, Washington, D. C.; MISS M. TURNER, Huddleston, Va.; MISS C. POST, Washington, D. C.; WILLIAM GARBOSE, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C.; MISS EVELYN GOLDSMITH, Pittsburgh; MISS _______ BEER, Foster Travel Service, Washington, D. C.; A. HALLAWAY, interstate commerce commission, Washington, D. C.; DON STAIRE, Washington, D. C., PCA traffic manager; E. G. BOWER, internal revenue department, Mr. Lebanon, Pittsburgh; J. J. PESCI, former Duquesne university athlete, Department of Justice, home, Blairsville, Pa.; MISS NAOMI COLEO, Washington, D. C.; A. H. ELLIOTT, N. W., Washington, D. C.; MISS R. M. HALE, Charlottesville, Va.; MISS MILDRED CHESSER, Washington, D. C.; D. P. JANES, Interstate Commerce Commission, Des Moines; J. J. HOLLERITH, Chicago; E. W. CHAMBERS, Pittsburgh; W. M. BURLESON, Richmond, Va.; M. P. MAHAN, Washington, D. C., internal revenue department; A. MOCK, internal revenue department, Washington, D. C.

The Coshocton Tribune Ohio 1940-09-01

Many thanks to Stu Beitler at http://www3.gendisasters.com/virginia/2406/lovettsville-va-air-disaster-aug-1940?page=0,0

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1940 crash that killed Oklahoma man remains a mystery

I never knew my grandfather. He was killed in what was then the worst commercial plane crash in American aviation history. It happened 75 years ago on Aug. 31, 1940. The cause of the crash remains a mystery.

The story headlined The Daily Oklahoman and other national news outlets the next day and was later chronicled by Life and other magazines. The Oklahoman's front page photos showed what remained of the mangled aircraft and also my grandfather's photo and a story about him.

A longtime Oklahoma resident, Guy Arthur Holloway had practiced law in Holdenville where he raised his daughters as a single father with help from his large family there.

He later moved with his daughters to Oklahoma City and took a job as legal assistant to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. In 1936 he was appointed to the Interstate Commerce Commission as a district supervisor. He was active in his church and politics. His future looked bright, and he was engaged to marry.

It all ended suddenly at 2:41 p.m. that tragic day.

What happened

He was flying home to his two grown daughters from Washington, D.C., where he had been working and upon his return he was to be permanently stationed in Oklahoma City. He and the other 24 passengers and crew on Flight 19 were killed when their Pennsylvania Central Airlines' DC-3 crashed into an alfalfa field in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, just 36 miles west of the nation's capital. It became known as the Lovettsville crash, named for the nearby town.

Also on board were Minnesota Sen. Ernest Lundeen and two FBI agents who supposedly were tailing him. He was a suspected Nazi sympathizer and against the United States entering World War I and World War II. This gave rise to speculation of sabotage in the crash. They questioned whether the senator had been influenced by contact with a pro-Nazi propagandist and if the crash was somehow related to this relationship.

The U.S. Senate ordered an investigation. Even though FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover denied that the FBI agents were surveilling the senator, to this day the FBI has not officially terminated the investigation into sabotage as a possible reason for the crash. The plane went nose-down at full speed of 300 mph into the ground. After impact, it catapulted and broke into pieces.

The official Civil Aeronautics Board investigation into the cause of the crash was the first one done by the recently formed entity. The board stated that the evidence suggested events and probability but which left room for doubt. It wrote, “In some instances the conclusions lie in a twilight zone in which it has been extremely difficult to distinguish between probability and possibility.”

Witnesses in the Lovettsville area said they saw a large flash of lightening just before the crash. However, there was no evidence it hit the plane. An unusually heavy rainstorm followed the crash. The people who rushed immediately to the scene were shocked by what they saw.

According to The Oklahoman , “The ship struck a hollow after topping Short Hill. Explosion of the gasoline tanks severed the fuselage, blew bodies of crew and passengers into bits and left a gruesome scene. Parts of bodies were found 1,000 yards away. Parts of other bodies were blown 400 yards away.”

Other accounts said some passengers were sliced in half by their seat belts.

The CAB report was inconclusive as to the exact cause but stated “the airplane was in some fashion effected, or the pilots disabled, by some effect incidental to a stroke of lightening, such as its mechanical effect on the airplane, or acoustical shock, concussion or impairment of the pilots.”

The report went on to say, “The probable cause … was the disabling of pilots by a severe lightening discharge in the immediate neighborhood of the airplane with resulting loss of control.”

There was no grave for my grandfather other than that hill in Virginia. I have only bits of funny stories about him and the small Bible he gave to my mother with the inscription “remember Daddy loves you.” He marked 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs to not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

A few old photos show him laughing with his family. He never lived to see his six grandchildren. His faith and humor were his heritage to his lineage. The mystery of his death remains.

• Military and History

Found Wreckage May Shed Light on Missing 1945 Aircraft Patrol

• Caleb Downing

Image Courtesy of War History Online

The date is December 5th, 1945.

You are a Navy pilot assigned to Flight 19 under the command of Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor. Nothing spectacular was on the docket for the day, only a routine navigation and combat training exercise. Little did you know, this would be your last flight.

On that fateful day back in 1945, five Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bombers took to the skies on what was supposed to be a routine training flight. The planned flight plan took the bombers eastward headed away from Miami Florida where they would turn north, drop their ordinance, and then turn back west toward home. Everything went to plan… until it didn’t. Unless otherwise noted, source material for this story is from War History Online .

Sometime after dropping their ordinance, the navigation system on the lead aircraft began to malfunction. After encountering an unexpected weather front that brought heavy winds, rain, and cloud cover,  Lieutenant Taylor made the executive decision to turn the flight northeast.

This decision was not the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for aircraft operating in the Atlantic. Pilots who flew in this area were instructed to turn west and head toward the sunset if they ever got disoriented or lost.

It is believed that if Flight 19 had turned their heading to the west, they would have found land and eventually regained their course.

Lieutenant Taylor believed that they had been blown down into the Gulf by the foul weather and by turning northeast, they would reach land. Radio communication between the Flight 19 crew indicated that not all members of the flight agreed with Lieutenant Taylor’s call and that one plane may have broken off and attempted to make the return flight alone. 

A massive search was immediately launched but nothing was located. No bodies, no aircraft – at least that’s what the official story states. There have been several independent investigations that have attempted to locate this missing flight but all efforts eventually reach a wall of silence. 

One such “wall of silence” was encountered by a lawyer out of Florida by the name of Graham Stikelether in 1963. While hunting in a Florida swamp, Stikelether discovered wreckage matching the aircraft from Flight 19. Not only did Stikelether find the wreckage, but the deceased crew of the aircraft was still on board. After reporting the wreckage to the authorities, Stikelether reached out to a contact of his at the Pentagon who instructed him to drop the case. 

To this day no one has conclusively proven what happened to the men of Flight 19. This occurrence did take place near the infamous “Bermuda Triangle” and with the government closing the door on this case in the manner they have, it does appear something is amiss. 

So…what do you think happened on that day in 1945? Share this out on Facebook and Twitter and let us know!

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From the archives: episode one.

Senator Ernest Lundeen

Photo of Minnesota Sen. Ernest Lundeen, April 1940.

Aftermath of the crash

The wreckage of the Pennsylvania Central Airlines plane, which crashed during a violent thunderstorm near Lovettsville on August 31, 1940. 25 people were killed, including Minnesota Sen. Ernest Lundeen.

82 years later

Modern-day photo of the field in Lovettsville, Virginia where Trip 19 crashed in 1940, killing all 25 passengers on board.

Passenger #15

Manifest for Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 19 on August 31, 1940. Sen. Ernest Lundeen is listed as passenger 15.

Lundeen's funeral

Program for the funeral service of Sen. Ernest Lundeen on September 4, 1940, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Justice Department's denial

Letter from Attorney General Robert H. Jackson addressed to Sen. Ernest Lundeen's widow, denying that there was ongoing investigation into Lundeen at the time of his death.

"The German Element in America"

The speech written for Sen. Ernest Lundeen by a paid Nazi agent. Lundeen was carrying these pages when he died, and they were found near the scene of the plane crash.

"It appears to be..."

A note pinned to the speech Sen. Ernest Lundeen was carrying the day he died, describing how the manuscript was found 100 yards from the scene of the crash.

Note to self

A letter Sen. Ernest Lundeen wrote to himself on the eve before he was sworn in to the United States Senate. The letter reads: "May I be a senator after Wash[ington] and Lincoln and under God (always for our America.)"

On the record

A copy of the Congressional Record from 1940, containing Sen. Ernest Lundeen's last speech on the floor of the Senate. The handwritten note at the top was added by his widow, Norma.

Lundeen for Congress

Business card from Ernest Lundeen's campaign for Congress.

Ernest Lundeen's archives

A box containing Sen. Ernest Lundeen's records and papers at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University.

NBC Radio archives

Programming card from NBC News Radio cataloguing Sen. Ernest Lundeen's appearances in 1940.

"Shall the U.S. declare war on Germany?"

Sen. Ernest Lundeen sent these pamphlets to his constituents, and asked them to indicate whether or not they supported the United States declaring war on Germany.

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The Mysterious Disappearance of Flight 19

By: Evan Andrews

Updated: August 11, 2023 | Original: December 4, 2015

It began as nothing more than a routine training flight. At 2:10 p.m. on December 5, 1945, five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers took off from a Naval Air Station in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The planes—collectively known as “Flight 19”—were scheduled to tackle a three-hour exercise known as “Navigation Problem Number One.”

Their triangular flight plan called for them to head east from the Florida coast and conduct bombing runs at a place called Hens and Chickens Shoals. They would then turn north and proceed over Grand Bahama Island before changing course a third time and flying southwest back to base. Save for one plane that only carried two men, each of the Avengers was crewed by three Navy men or Marines, most of whom had logged around 300 hours in the air. The flight’s leader was Lieutenant Charles C. Taylor, an experienced pilot and veteran of several combat missions in World War II’s Pacific Theater.

At first, Flight 19’s hop proceeded just as smoothly as the previous 18 that day. Taylor and his pilots buzzed over Hens and Chickens Shoals around 2:30 p.m. and dropped their practice bombs without incident. But shortly after the patrol turned north for the second leg of its journey, something very strange happened. For reasons that are still unclear, Taylor became convinced that his Avenger’s compass was malfunctioning and that his planes had been flying in the wrong direction. The troubles only mounted after a front blew in and brought rain, gusting winds and heavy cloud cover. Flight 19 became hopelessly disoriented. “I don’t know where we are,” one of the pilots said over the radio. “We must have got lost after that last turn.”

Compass Failure, Crash Landing

Lieutenant Robert F. Cox, another Navy flight instructor who was flying near the Florida coast, was the first to overhear the patrol’s radio communications. He immediately informed the Air Station of the situation and then contacted the Avengers to ask if they needed assistance. “Both my compasses are out and I’m trying to find Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,” Taylor said, his voice sounding anxious. “I’m over land, but it’s broken. I’m sure I’m in the Keys, but I don’t know how far down.”

Taylor’s claim didn’t seem to make sense. He’d made his scheduled pass over Hens and Chicken Shoals in the Bahamas less than an hour earlier, but he now believed his planes had somehow drifted hundreds of miles off course and ended up in the Florida Keys. The 27-year-old had just transferred to Fort Lauderdale from Miami, and many have since speculated that he may have confused some of the islands of the Bahamas for the Keys.

Under normal circumstances, pilots lost in the Atlantic were supposed to point their planes toward the setting sun and fly west toward the mainland, but Taylor had become convinced that he might be over the Gulf of Mexico. Hoping to locate the Florida peninsula, he made a fateful decision to steer Flight 19 northeast—a course that would only take them even farther out to sea. Some of his pilots seemed to have recognized that he was making a mistake. “Dammit,” one man griped over the radio. “If we would just fly west, we would get home.”

Taylor was eventually persuaded to turn around and head west, but shortly after 6 p.m., he seems to have canceled the order and once again changed direction. “We didn’t go far enough east,” he said, still worried that he might be in the Gulf. “We may as well just turn around and go east again.” His pilots probably argued against the decision—some investigators even believe that one plane broke off and flew in a different direction—but most followed their commander’s lead. Flight 19’s radio transmissions soon became increasingly faint as it meandered out to sea. When fuel began to run low, Taylor was heard prepping his men for a potential crash landing in the ocean. “All planes close up tight,” he said. “We’ll have to ditch unless landfall…when the first plane drops below ten gallons, we all go down together.” A few minutes later, the Avengers’ last radio communications were replaced by an eerie buzz of static.

The Search Comes Up Short

The Navy immediately scrambled search planes to hunt for the missing patrol. Around 7:30 p.m., a pair of PBM Mariner flying boats took off from an air station north of Ft. Lauderdale. Just 20 minutes later, however, one of them seemed to follow Flight 19’s lead by suddenly vanishing off the radar.

The remains of the Mariner and its 13 crewmen were never recovered, but it’s commonly believed that the seaplane exploded shortly after takeoff. Flying boats were notoriously accident-prone, and were even nicknamed “flying gas tanks” for their propensity for catching fire. Suspicions that the seaplane may have gone up in flames were all but confirmed by a passing merchant ship, which spotted a fireball and found evidence of an oil slick in the ocean.

At first light the next day, the Navy dispatched more than 300 boats and aircraft to look for Flight 19 and the missing Mariner. The search party spent five days combing through more than 300,000 square miles of territory, to no avail. “They just vanished,” Navy Lieutenant David White later recalled. “We had hundreds of planes out looking, and we searched over land and water for days, and nobody ever found the bodies or any debris.”

A Navy board of investigation was also left scratching its head. While it argued that Taylor might have confused the Bahamas for the Florida Keys after his compass malfunctioned, it could find no clear explanation for why Flight 19 had become so disoriented. Its members eventually attributed the loss to “causes or reasons unknown.”

Straining to Explain the Flight 19 Mystery

The strange events of December 5, 1945, have since become fodder for all manner of wild theories and speculation. In the 1960s and 70s, pulp magazines and writers such as Vincent Gaddis and Charles Berlitz helped popularize the idea that Flight 19 had been gobbled up by the “Bermuda Triangle,” a section of the Atlantic supposedly known for its high volume of freak disappearances and mechanical failures. Other books and fictional portrayals have suggested that magnetic anomalies, parallel dimensions and alien abductions might have all played a role in the tragedy. In 1977, the film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” famously depicted Flight 19 as having been whisked away by flying saucers and later deposited in the deserts of Mexico.

Even if the “Lost Patrol” didn’t fall victim to the supernatural, there’s no denying that its disappearance was accompanied by many oddities and unanswered questions. Perhaps the strangest of all concerns Lieutenant Taylor. Witnesses later claimed that he arrived to Flight 19’s pre-exercise briefing several minutes late and requested to be excused from leading the mission. “I just don’t want to take this one out,” he supposedly said. Just why Taylor tried to get out of flying remains a mystery, but it has led many to suggest that he may have not been fit for duty.

Also unexplained is why none of the members of Flight 19 made use of the rescue radio frequency or their planes’ ZBX receivers, which could have helped lead them toward Navy radio towers on land. The pilots were told to switch the devices on, but they either didn’t hear the message or didn’t acknowledge it.

What really happened to Flight 19? The most likely scenario is that the planes eventually ran out of gas and ditched in the ocean somewhere off the coast of Florida, leaving any survivors at the mercy of rough seas and deep water. In 1991, a group of treasure hunters seemed to have finally solved the puzzle when they stumbled upon the watery graves of five World War II-era Avengers near Fort Lauderdale. Unfortunately, it was later found that the hulks belonged to a different group of Navy planes whose serial numbers didn’t match those of the fabled “Lost Patrol.”

Many believe the wrecks of Flight 19 and its doomed rescue plane may still lurk somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle, but while the search continues to this day, no definitive signs of the six aircraft or their 27 crewmen have ever been found.

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United Airlines Flight 232: What you need to know about 1989 plane crash in Iowa

Fate meted misery and miracles in nearly equal measure when United Airlines Flight 232 crashed at the Sioux City airport on July 19, 1989 .

The DC-10 was bound for Chicago when the tail engine exploded. Shrapnel from the blast shredded hydraulic lines. The pilots lost all flight controls. The odds of such a failure were one in a billion. The odds of survival were even worse. But an unprecedented show of skill and ingenuity by the pilots combined with a magnificently coordinated response by an army of rescue workers on the ground saved 184 of the 296 people aboard the flight.

What happened

Flight 232 took off from Denver bound for Chicago at 2:09 p.m., July 19, 1989. At 3:16 p.m., some 37,000 feet over Alta, Iowa, the tail engine exploded.

A microscopic flaw in an engine part, investigators later discovered, caused it to fail. Debris severed hydraulic lines. The fluid leaked out in about two seconds.

Capt. Alfred C. "Al" Haynes struggled to fly a plane without flight controls. The crippled plane began to turn steeply. It was in danger of turning upside down, which would have resulted in an immediate crash.

Haynes, First Officer William Records and Second Officer Dudley Dvorak eventually gained control of the aircraft. By adjusting the thrust to the two remaining engines — one on each wing — they could stabilize the plane.

Haynes would bring one engine to idle and push the other to full throttle. The result was a crude type of steering.

The worst-case scenario

Dennis E. "Denny" Fitch sat in first class. He was an off-duty United Airlines DC-10 flight instructor. He was on his way home to Chicago for a three-day weekend after teaching a course in Denver.

Haynes invited Fitch into the cockpit and assigned him to work the throttles. Hayes radioed the FAA and United Airlines for help.

The problem: There were no backup plans for a DC-10 with total hydraulic failure. This was the worst-case scenario.

"Dear God, I have 296 lives literally in my two hands," Fitch told documentary filmmaker Errol Morris for a 2001 episode of the series "First Person." "The first thing that strikes your mind is ... 'I'm going to die this afternoon.' The only question that remains is, 'How long is it going to take Iowa to hit me?'"

Sioux City the best spot for crash landing

Haynes considered putting down in Lincoln or Omaha in Nebraska or Des Moines. But control over the airplane was so poor that he decided Sioux City was closer and the best spot.

The plane took a looping, squiggly flight path over Iowa toward Sioux City.

Fitch became more adept at handling the throttles. He realized he could not slow the plane to less than 250 mph. A DC-10 typically approaches an airport at just over half that speed.

The cockpit voice recorder captured the pilots as they neared Sioux City Gateway Airport. Haynes retained his sense of humor.

The air traffic control cleared United 232 for any runway.

Haynes laughed and replied, "You want to be particular and make it a runway, huh?"

But the situation was grim, and he knew it.

"Whatever you do," Haynes said on the recording, "keep us away from the city."

A DC-10 weighs about 330,000 pounds, and the lack of hydraulics meant no brakes, either. Haynes and Fitch tried to set the plane down on the runway as early as possible so the drag would slow the plane.

"The beautiful thing was that at the end of the runway was a field laced in corn," Fitch later said in the documentary. "I thought, 'Perfect.' We may leave the runway, but if we go into that cornfield, we can use all that plant matter to slow us down. We were gonna open eight doors, slides are gonna inflate, 296 souls are going to slide down, and we're going to the nearest saloon and I'm buying."

It was not to be that happy a landing.

The plane explodes, breaks into four pieces

The plane was going too fast when it hit the runway. Haynes ordered Fitch to reduce speed. Fitch said, "I can't. That's what's holding your wing up."

If Fitch dropped power to the engines, the nose would pitch down, and the wing would fall. Everyone would die.

Fitch saw the plane was sinking too fast. He tried to bring the nose up by pushing the engines to maximum power and then pulling them back at the final moment.

"But there just wasn't time," he told Morris.

Just before 4 p.m., the right wing of United 232 dipped down and scraped the runway. Fuel spilled. The plane exploded and broke into four pieces.

The main wreckage slid into a cornfield and caught fire.

Rescuers mobilized from all over area

Two Sioux City hospitals — including a regional burn center — were in the midst of shift change. That meant more people were available to treat survivors.

The Iowa Air National Guard was on duty at the Sioux City airport. Nearly 300 airmen assisted with search, rescue and triage.

The 45 minutes between the exploded engine and the crash allowed rescuers from surrounding communities to get to the airport along with local authorities.

Just two years before, Gary Brown, the Woodbury County emergency management director who worked the crash in 1989, participated in a regional large plane crash drill.

The training merged with the generosity and hustle of thousands of volunteers who rushed to the scene from every walk of life.

The final National Transportation Safety Board report on the crash credited the massive rescue effort with saving 41 lives of people who would have otherwise died after the crash.

Looking back on the crash

An anniversary for a disaster such as United 232 is a difficult day to mark.

Is it a memorial for the 112 dead? A celebration for the 184 who lived and those who fought to save them?

The Register reached out to Haynes and others as the 25th anniversary of the crash approached .

Haynes praised the flight crew, the rescue teams and the hospitals. But more than two decades after the crash, he remained saddened that the flight attendants never received the recognition he says they deserved.

"On my mind forever will be the thoughts of the 112 who did not survive," he added.

Fitch, who died in 2012 of brain cancer, said in the documentary: "I would gladly trade my life for theirs because I had the responsibility. We as a crew were able to save 184. But the rationale that these people lived that otherwise wouldn't have doesn't suffice to take away these feelings."

Perhaps Dr. David Greco, who was aboard a helicopter ambulance and worked the crash scene, summed it up best: "For the past 25 years, since witnessing the crash from a helicopter, I've been asking myself, 'Disaster or miracle?' "

In the end, it is both and more.

The Rev. Greg Clapper, a retired Iowa Air National Guard chaplain, worked the crash site. He worked with U.S. military personnel suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological ailments brought on by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the echoes of their sadness, Clapper heard the same cries from those who tried to help United 232: "I just feel like I could have done something to save more."

"Some people carry this guilt for their whole lives," Clapper said in an email to the Register. "The deeper spiritual truth that I tried to help others to see, a truth has made all the difference in many lives, once it is understood and embodied is this: We cannot control everything that we would like to."

Brown, the emergency management director, would add another lesson."If there's a legacy to 232 that's worth remembering 25 years from now or 125 years from now, it's this: Never let go of the desire to help other people," Brown said. "A lot of things have changed and will change in this country, but that's not gone. We still hold that close that no matter what, you've got to help each other."

Lovettsville air disaster (Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19)

• Edit source
• View history
• 1 Background Information:
• 3 Recovery:
• 4 Crew and Passengers:
• 5 Aircraft:

Background Information: [ ]

A DC-3 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident

On August 31, 1940, Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19 was flying from Washington, D.C. to Detroit with a stopover in Pittsburgh. While the aircraft was flying near Lovettsville, Virginia, and was approaching the West Virginia border, it encountered an intense thunderstorm. Witnesses from the ground reported seeing a large flash of lightning shortly before the aircraft nosed over and plunged to the earth in an alfalfa field. Because of limited accident investigation tools at that time, at first, it was believed that the airplane flew into the wind shear. But, the Civil Aeronautics Board report concluded that the cause was probably a lightning strike.

Deaths: [ ]

The wreckage of the crashed DC-3

A lot of important people died in the accident. These include U.S. Senator Ernest Lundeen, a Special Agent of the FBI, a second FBI employee, and a prosecutor from the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. There were 25 fatalities and 0 survivors.

Recovery: [ ]

Since the crash happened during a severe rainstorm, recovery efforts were blocked by impassable flooded roads and poor communications. When the plane crashed, it cut the only telephone lines in the area so communicating was impossible. The wreckage of the aircraft was scattered over a broad area, and it is believed that all of the aircraft's occupants died instantly on impact. At the time, the crash was the deadliest disaster in the history of U.S. commercial aviation.

Crew and Passengers: [ ]

Trip 19 was under the command of Captain Lowell V. Scroggins with First Officer J. Paul Moore. They had over eleven thousand and six thousand hours of experience, but only a few hundred of those hours were on DC-3s. The aircraft was carrying 21 passengers, only a single flight attendant, 3 other crews, and an airline manager riding near the cockpit.

The diagram showing the location of the wreckage

Aircraft: [ ]

The aircraft involved was a new Douglas DC-3A, equipped with twin Curtiss-Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 engines.

Climate: [ ]

On the day when the accident happened, the climate was described as "a weak occluded low-pressure area located over the Lake Superior region, with its principal front occluded at the center of the system, becoming a cold front of weak intensity extending from the central portion of Lake Erie south-southwestward across Ohio" (it basically means "intense thunderstorm").

• 1 National Airlines Flight 102
• 2 EgyptAir Flight 804
• 3 Aeroflot Flight 593

40 years ago, American Airlines Flight 191 crashed at O'Hare.

After losing an engine on the runway, the DC-10 banked sharply after takeoff.

Seconds later it slammed into the ground and burst into flames.

All 271 on board, along with 2 on the ground, were killed.

The legacy of Flight 191

When an engine ripped off a dc-10 at o’hare it killed 273 people, and changed air travel forever.

By Lauren Zumbach

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

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As 258 passengers filed on to American Airlines Flight 191 at O’Hare International Airport the Friday before Memorial Day in 1979, nothing suggested that they would never reach Los Angeles.

They would have listened to the flight attendant instruct them how to buckle the seat belt and where to find the emergency exits.

None of that would matter.

As the three-engine McDonnell Douglas DC-10 accelerated down the runway, reaching takeoff speed, the left engine broke away, vaulting over the aircraft’s wing. The pilots heard a thunk.

“Damn,” one of the pilots said.

It would be the last word captured by the cockpit voice recorder.

The plane continued to rise, its wings level, despite the nearly 13,500 pounds suddenly missing from its left side. But as it reached 300 feet, the plane slowed and rolled left until it began to overturn, its nose tipping down.

After just 31 seconds of flight, the plane plunged back to earth, killing all the passengers and 13 crew members on board.

The wreckage strafed an open field and mobile home park, scattering debris and erupting into flames. Bodies were burned beyond recognition.

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Gallery of archive images from the crash of Flight 191 and the aftermath »

Forty years later, the crash of Flight 191 remains the deadliest passenger airline accident on U.S. soil.

Its legacy helped spur reforms that contributed to a vast improvement in commercial aviation safety.

“It had a lasting impact on how aircraft maintenance is overseen,” said former Federal Aviation Administration chief of staff Michael Goldfarb. “It was just a stark reminder those things are very important.”

The changes didn’t happen overnight. A series of air disasters in the decade and a half that followed, coupled with rising demand for air travel that put more passengers on more airplanes each day, forced the industry to reckon with its safety record, aviation safety experts said.

It worked. With improvements in technology, training and systems meant to flag problems before they lead to accidents, it’s been more than a decade since the last fatal crash on a scheduled passenger flight by a U.S. airline.

But two months ago, weeks after that 10-year milestone was achieved, the industry faced another crisis. The second fatal crash of a Boeing 737 Max overseas within less than six months led to a global grounding of the plane — one of the only times regulators grounded an entire fleet since Flight 191 crashed in Chicago. As investigations into those two accidents continue, regulators and industry officials worldwide are conducting a reassessment of safety procedures.

To some, the crashes of the 737 Max served as a necessary caution against complacency.

Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate whose niece died in the March 10 Max crash in Ethiopia, likened the industry’s approach to safety to a rubber band that has been repeatedly stretched without breaking.

“You get complacent about how much you can stretch it, and it snaps,” he said.

How the crash happened

These diagrams were originally published in the Tribune in the days following the crash. The Tribune modified the archive graphics and filled out the description of what happened with new reporting.

Detail area

Oasis Mobile

O’Hare International Airport

CLEARED FOR TAKOFF

At 3:02:38 p.m., May 25 American Airlines Flight 191, a DC-10 bound for Los Angeles International Airport, gets clearance for takeoff. The aircraft, carrying 258 passengers and 13 crew members, begins speeding up for takeoff on the 10,000-foot long Runway 32R.

LOSES LEFT ENGINE

At 5,000 feet down the runway, the aircraft reaches 175 mph which is necessary for takeoff. At this time the 9,000-pound engine and pylon (the piece connecting the engine to the left wing) separate from the aircraft, flipping over the top of the wing and falling to the runway. Electrical power and hydraulic lines are severed in the left wing and white smoke or vapor appears.

RADIOS THE PLANE

3:03:52 p.m.: Seeing this, an air traffic controller radios the plane: "All right, ah, American, ah, one ninety one heavy. You want to come back in to what runway?" There is no reply.

ENGINE SKIDS ON RUNWAY

The engine skids along the runway to the 8,000-foot mark. The flight crew, which could not see the wings and engines from the cockpit, proceeds with takeoff.

FLIGHT TAKES OFF

The plane lifts off about 6,000 feet down the runway, reaching an altitude of about 300 feet above the ground with its wings still level.

BEGINS SHARP BANK LEFT

Shortly before the plane is over the end of the runway, however, it begins a sharp bank to the left due, in part, to retraction of the outboard slats caused when the engine and pylon detached from the left wing. The plane will continue to roll left until its wings are past the vertical position.

BEGINS TO STALL

Now over Touhy Avenue, the plane is no longer going fast enough to stay in the air. Due to the loss of electrical power, the flight crew does not receive any warning that the aircraft is stalling. It begins to descend.

SLAMS INTO THE GROUND

3:04:05 p.m.: With its nose pointed downward, Flight 191 slams into the ground of an open field about 4,600 feet northwest of the departure end of the runway. It is demolished upon impact then explodes. There are no survivors.

MT. PROSPECT

Maine West Township High School

At 3:02:38 p.m., May 25 American Airlines Flight 191, a DC-10 bound for Los Angeles International Airport, gets clearance for takeoff.

The aircraft, carrying 258 passengers and 13 crew members, begins speeding up for takeoff on the 10,000-foot long Runway 32R.

Willow Creek

At 5,000 feet down the runway, the aircraft reaches 175 mph which is necessary for takeoff.

At this time the 9,000-pound engine and pylon (the piece connecting the engine to the left wing) separate from the aircraft, flipping over the top of the wing and falling to the runway. Electrical power and hydraulic lines are severed in the left wing and white smoke or vapor appears.

Sources: National Transportation Safety Board aircraft accident report; Federal Aviation Administration; Chicago Tribune archives

Jemal R. Brinson/Chicago Tribune

Dan Cirignani, a police officer patrolling the airport roads on foot that afternoon, didn’t see the plane go down. But it was impossible to miss the black smoke clouding the sky over the airport. He wondered if it was a drill.

But a voice on his radio called all personnel to a “strike on the field” — a plane crash. Then he heard the sirens.

Firefighters from Elk Grove Village, which borders O’Hare, were on the scene in four minutes. They’d been told a plane had crashed. But the smoke was so thick that Bill Clark, a lieutenant at the time, said he couldn’t be certain until he sliced through a fence and saw the deep furrow the aircraft made in the ground, along with debris and victims.

It was obvious that no one on board could have survived, he said.

“It was total devastation. There was nothing we could do to change what happened,” said Clark, now Schaumburg’s emergency management coordinator.

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In addition to the passengers and crew, two people on the ground were killed and two more suffered second- and third-degree burns when hit by burning jet fuel, Clark said. An old aircraft hangar, several cars and a mobile home were also destroyed.

Cirignani, 76, who retired in 2005 and now lives in Barrington, had worked fires and crashes before. But the first time he saw one of the victims, he didn’t immediately recognize it as a body.

“I had to ask the pathologist,” he said. “They looked like black coal.”

For a while, he refused to light a grill, and remains cautious when it comes to anything to do with fire.

“The carnage, it was just one of the most horrible things you’ve ever seen,” he said.

The intensity of the blaze and sheer number of people on board made identifying the victims unusually difficult, said Edward Pavlik, an orthodontist and chief of forensic sciences for the Cook County sheriff’s office, who was part of a team of forensic dentists that worked to identify victims of Flight 191.

High-pressure hoses used to extinguish the blaze left a crater in the ground filled with “a tangled mess,” said Pavlik, 76, of Homer Glen.

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Faces of the victims

Among the 273 people who died in the crash of Flight 191 were families going on vacation, business travelers returning from meetings and passengers who were visiting friends or going to family events. Here are some of their stories.

Several of the victims had been headed to the American Booksellers Association convention in Los Angeles, including local author Judith Wax and her husband, Playboy Magazine Managing Editor Sheldon Wax. Other travelers came from as far away as Australia, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The wreckage was too badly damaged to give investigators much useful information, except for the engine that broke away from the wing.

It would provide important answers to both questions facing investigators: Why had the engine and structure attaching it to the wing broken off? And why had pilots lost control of a plane that, though badly damaged, was designed to fly even if an engine failed?

The investigation

Within days of the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered other carriers to inspect their DC-10s, focusing on the area where the engine attaches to the wing.

Ernie Gigliotti was one of the night shift mechanics United Airlines tapped at O’Hare. As he did the inspection, “I just had the feeling there was something not right,” said Gigliotti, 71, who retired in 2002 and lives in Pittsburgh. He pushed on the engine nose and felt it move side to side rather than up and down, and heard an unusual metallic noise. He and his partner removed more panels and found obvious damage: fractures, and bolts with the heads sheared off.

When American and Continental Airlines also found damage to their DC-10s during the ordered inspections, the FAA grounded the DC-10 fleet on June 6, 12 days after the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board traced Flight 191’s damage to American’s decision to ignore McDonnell Douglas’ instructions during a maintenance procedure that required removing the engine and the pylon connecting it to the wing.

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The DC-10’s manual instructed workers to take off the heavier engine before detaching the pylon. But removing the engine and pylon as a unit saved about 200 man-hours per aircraft, according to the NTSB.

“That equals money,” said Anthony Brickhouse, associate professor of aerospace and occupational safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “And that’s the battle you constantly fight in safety, it’s safety versus money.”

American also decided to use a forklift, which wasn’t precise enough to remove and reattach the engine without risking damage, the NTSB said.

But if damage during a maintenance check at American’s facility in Tulsa, Okla., two months earlier explained why the engine came off, it didn’t fully explain why pilots lost control.

According to the NTSB, hydraulic lines that powered other critical systems were severed when the engine and pylon broke away, leaving the aircraft unusually vulnerable to a stall and disabling warning systems.

The NTSB said it wasn’t reasonable to expect Flight 191’s captain, Walter Lux, and first officer, James Dillard, to have recognized what was wrong with the aircraft in time to prevent a crash.

How the engine attaches to the wing

Inspections of DC-10s after the crash of Flight 191 showed a maintenance shortcut caused damage to where the pylon attaches to the wing.

Aft bulkhead flange:

Area where small crack grew and eventually gave way.

Thrust link assembly:

Area where faulty bolt was found.

Sources: Tribune archives

The aftermath

The fallout from the accident was, if nothing else, a call to action for an industry and its regulators.

The FAA slapped American and Continental with fines of $500,000 and $100,000, respectively, for improper maintenance.

Airlines were ordered to inspect their DC-10s for damage and stick to the Douglas-endorsed maintenance procedure. The FAA ordered improvements to the DC-10’s warning systems and revised flight manual procedures for handling an engine failure.

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In addition, an Illinois law now encourages that dentures be marked with information identifying the wearer. Pavlik, the forensic dentist, said he pushed the measure after realizing it could have helped verify victims’ identities.

The NTSB also called for broader changes, such as better tracking and reporting of maintenance-related damage, stricter oversight of maintenance and tougher vetting when airlines sought to deviate from manufacturer-endorsed methods.

Both airlines and regulators missed opportunities to spot the risks before the Flight 191 crash, either by better vetting the hazards of using the forklift or spotting red flags, the NTSB said in the report. Continental, for example, twice caught and repaired damage similar to that found on Flight 191 before the crash, but American told the safety board that it wasn’t aware other airlines had experienced problems.

The FAA declined to act on some of those recommendations at the time, arguing that existing regulations already went far enough or that the changes wouldn’t improve safety enough to justify the extra cost.

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But there were changes, said Robert Swaim, national resource specialist with the NTSB, who has investigated accidents including the Trans World Airlines 800 crash that killed 230 people in 1996.

“We had this accident (Flight 191), and continued to have a number of accidents … and the FAA kind of came around after we investigated and reiterated some points, that we really do have to do this stuff,” he said.

In a statement, American said it actively works with federal regulators and its industry officials to improve air safety.

“We honor our customers, crew members and those on the ground whose lives were lost, and our hearts go out to those personally affected by the tragedy of Flight 191,” the airline said. United Airlines also said it continually works to improve safety.

Major U.S. air crashes

Following the crash of Flight 191 at O’Hare and a string of deadly crashes that followed, air travel has gotten safer, even as many more people took to the skies.

NUMBER OF CRASHES

BY YEAR WHERE

AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE DIED

Flight 191 crash at O’Hare

Sept. 11 attacks and Flight 587 crash in Queens

NUMBER OF CRASHES BY YEAR

WHERE AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE DIED

Sept. 11 attacks and

Flight 587 crash in Queens

NUMBER OF CRASHES BY YEAR WHERE AT LEAST 20 PEOPLE DIED

Source: National Transportation Safety Board

Chicago Tribune

The reforms

Fatal crashes continued in the years that followed. All the while, demand for travel was growing, meaning more passengers, more flights — and more crashes, Swaim said.

“The major power players basically came to the same realization that we can’t keep going like we are,” he said.

Advancements in technology helped. Engines grew more reliable and airlines adopted systems that warned pilots if they were in danger of colliding with another aircraft or flying into the ground or an obstacle, said Hassan Shahidi, CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation.

Other changes targeted human errors, including improvements in training and rules barring casual conversation in the cockpit below a certain altitude.

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Swaim also pointed to a change in the way the industry thought about accidents and collected data: Instead of focusing solely on an individual incident, officials tried to identify patterns pointing to reforms that could have broader benefits. Over the years, airlines, manufacturers and regulators have worked to improve the way they gather, share and analyze data to try to spot red flags before they lead to accidents, Shahidi said.

The result has been a golden age of air travel when it comes to flight safety. The last time a scheduled passenger flight on a U.S. commercial airline ended in a fatal crash was outside Buffalo, N.Y., in 2009. All 49 people on board were killed, along with one person on the ground.

To be sure, U.S. air travel hasn’t been without incident: There have been fatal accidents involving smaller aircraft or foreign carriers in recent years.

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Boeing 737 Max

Then came the two fatal crashes of the Boeing 737 Max. Boeing has acknowledged a system was erroneously activated on both flights and said Thursday it has updated its flight-control software.

It’s not clear whether that fix would have prevented either accident. But some have questioned whether more direct oversight by federal regulators could have identified problems before the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents. In the years leading up to the crash, federal regulators have ceded greater authority to manufacturers like Boeing to certify the safety of their own planes.

The system generally works despite the apparent conflict of interest, said Shawn Pruchnicki, who teaches aviation safety at Ohio State University. “It’s a little bit like having the fox guard the henhouse because there’s so much self-policing, but they have the same interests as everyone else. They don’t want the aircraft to crash either,” he said.

The FAA disputed the idea that companies were allowed to police themselves, saying it exerts “strict” oversight and is directly involved in testing and approving new features and technologies. In the case of the Max’s certification, FAA safety engineers and test pilots put in 110,000 hours of work and flew or supported 297 test flights, the FAA said in a statement.

Still, the 737 Max situation raises questions about exactly how much latitude manufacturers should have and when changes are significant enough to require an outsider’s view, Pruchnicki said.

“There needs to be a point at which we decide this isn’t your father’s 737 anymore,” he said.

The NTSB has also pushed for stricter FAA oversight and urged the industry to be quicker to accept safety-enhancing regulations. But Swaim, who declined to comment on the 737 Max case due to the ongoing investigation, noted concerns about the industry’s inertia and the extent to which the FAA delegates authority to the companies it regulates have been around for decades — even as safety improved.

“This has been going on for a long time, and for the thousands of flights that take off a day, that’s pretty phenomenal,” he said. “It cannot be luck.”

But Goldfarb said the amount of oversight handed over to airlines and manufacturers has grown over the years and that he worries the industry’s excellent record can undermine the case for costly but beneficial changes.

The odds of a crash grow so slim, there are “little things you overlook,” he said. “They start to add up, and you’re only as safe as your last flight.”

Families reflect on those lost

A son who became a pilot, a daughter who remembers seeing her mother collapse when she heard the news and two daughters who helped build the memorial in Des Plaines.

There are few public reminders of the 1979 crash today. American no longer operates a Flight 191, and for more than three decades after the crash, there was no Chicago-area site honoring the victims. Creating one took a group of Chicago sixth graders, who led the push to build the memorial in Des Plaines after learning their assistant principal, Kim Jockl, lost her parents in the crash.

But there’s no danger of Fight 191 being forgotten by those connected to the crash, or in the aviation community.

“Not a semester goes by that we don’t talk about it,” said Brickhouse, the Embry-Riddle professor.

“To me, it’s one of the seminal moments.”

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Twitter @laurenzumbach

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