 Aerial photo of the crash (visible upper center) with rescue operations in progress | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 12, 1949 |
| Summary | Pilot error, CFIT |
| Site | Chatsworth, California, United States |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Curtiss C-46E Commando |
| Operator | Standard Air Lines |
| Registration | N79978 |
| Flight origin | Albuquerque Municipal Airport |
| Destination | Burbank Airport |
| Passengers | 44 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 35 |
| Survivors | 13 |
Standard Air Lines Flight 897R was a domestic passenger flight between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Burbank, California. At 7:43am on July 12, 1949, the flight, operated by a Curtiss C-46E (registered N79978[1]), crashed in Chatsworth, California, upon approach to Burbank, killing 35 of the 48 passengers and crew on board.[2][3]
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Transcription
Shh... I've snuck into minutephysics' studio to explain how a wing actually works Hang on, something doesn't feel right. Ah, that's better. Now everyone knows that a wing generates lift due to its characteristic shape Since air travels farther over top of the wing, it must go faster than the air underneath so that both streams meet up simultaneously at the trailing edge And according to Bernoulli's principle, faster flowing air exerts less pressure than the slower air beneath the wing This pressure difference creates an upward force -- lift. Job done. Right? Nope This simple explanation taught in many textbooks and classrooms has obvious problems Like how could a plane fly upside down? Some planes like the Wright brothers' had nearly flat wings. So presumably air would travel the same speed over both sides and there would be no lift Plus experiments show that air streams don't meet up at the back of the wing. Air over the top goes significantly faster, reaching the trailing edge first. So how does a wing actually generate lift? Well the key is the wing must deflect air downwards This can be achieved using asymmetric or cambered air foils Or by increasing the angle of attack Air under the wing is deflected down And by the coanda effect air above the wing is guided along its surface and down as well Since the air is slowed and deflected down by the wing, it pushes the wing up and back. Lift, and drag. This is in accordance with Newton's Third Law of Motion But hang on, if you can explain lift only using the deflection of air and Newton's laws, then the Bernoulli explanation must be completely wrong Well, no, air over the top of the wing does go faster than air beneath, creating a pressure difference that generates lift Then this Newtonian explanation is unnecessary rubbish and the original explanation was right! That's not true either. The original explanation incorrectly assumed that air over and under the wing must reconnect at the trailing edge, and there was no mention of deflecting air down. Each explanation, done correctly, completely accounts for the lift generated by a wing. They're just two different ways of looking at the same thing. So next time someone brings up the standard misconception, you can tell them that explanation just doesn't fly. And if you liked that, you've gotta check out MinutePhysics. I've got total respect for a guy who does this every week. Sincerely, a collection of particles known as Derek.
The flight
The Standard Air Lines flight departed from Albuquerque Municipal Airport at 4:24am for a flight to the Hollywood-Lockheed Air Terminal (today called Burbank Airport). At 7:36am the aircraft was cleared to land at Burbank.[4] After that, there was no other communication from the flight.
Crash
The aircraft was flying in level flight with the gear down, on an ILS approach to Hollywood-Lockheed Air Terminal (today called Burbank Airport) on a Tuesday morning. The aircraft descended in patchy fog below the minimum altitude permitted and its right wing tip struck the side of a hill at 1,890 feet above sea level, pulling the plane around 90 degrees. The C-46 hit the ground and bounced 300 feet into the air before crashing in Chatsworth, CA, some 430 feet below the crest of Santa Susana Pass, just north of the Chatsworth Reservoir.
It was originally reported that a fist fight had broken out between two male passengers, however survivors later stated that the fight was not the cause of the crash but instead it was based on pilot error.[5] The CAB report stated, "This accident was caused solely by the pilot voluntarily going below the prescribed minimum altitude and descending into the overcast...".[6]
Survivors
Actress Caren Marsh Doll was among the survivors of the crash.[7] She recalled "I heard screams and a fire crackling....Then I remember a woman grabbed my arm. She was wonderful. I heard her say 'Let's get out of here'. She dragged me out of the plane and into the brush."[5] Members of the religious cult WKFL, led by Krishna Venta, were involved in the rescue operations, giving them national prominence.[8]
Aftermath
Due to regulation violations, Standard Air Lines was ordered to cease non-scheduled operations, and it merged with Viking Air Lines to form North American Airlines shortly afterwards.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "FAA Registry (N79978)". Federal Aviation Administration.
- ^ "Accident details from planecrashinfo.com". Retrieved 2013-09-13.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Curtiss C-46E-1-CS Commando N79978 Chatsworth, CA". Retrieved 2013-09-13.
- ^ Macha, G. Pat (2014). Historic Aircraft Wrecks of Los Angeles County. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 978-1540210722.
- ^ a b Times, Los Angeles (2011-01-26). "Remnants of a deadly crash". Framework. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ^ Wilson, Harland (September 1950). "The Fatal Altimeter". Flying Magazine: 18–21.
- ^ "Biography for Caren Marsh at IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
- ^ Matthew, Duersten (2018-12-10). "The Bizarre Story Behind The Suicide Bombing Of A SoCal Cult". LAist. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ^ "Standard Air Lines Curtiss C-46". Retrieved 2013-09-13.
External links
- Report from the Civil Aeronautics Board (PDF)
- http://planecrashinfo.com/1949/1949-32.htm
- Night photo of aircraft
- Photo of aircraft
- Photo of crash from L.A. Times archive
- Image of men searching the wreckage of Standard Airlines C-46 for clues regarding the cause of the crash, 1949. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
34°15′30″N 118°38′15″W / 34.2583°N 118.6375°W
This page was last edited on 26 September 2023, at 04:23