Page:Aviation Accident Report - TWA Flight 6.pdf/4

 at the request of the company, a similar message was broadcast over the Department of Commerce radio range. Subsequent developments indicate that the pilot had directed his course towards Kirksville, Mo., before these messages were sent. The air line distance from Kansas City to Kirksville at 128 miles.

Flying blind through clouds, headed toward the directional radio marker at Kirksville and confronted with a limited fuel supply and an inoperative Kirksville in an apparent attempt to complete the remaining distance with the ground in view.

On breaking through the clouds, the pilot found a very low ceiling with occasional mist and light to moderate fog. From the evidence of witnesses on the ground, it is known that just before the accident, the aircraft flew a distrance of at least two miles at a very low altitude over slightly rolling terrain. During this time, the passengers were given the signal, by means of a lighted sign in the cabin, to fasten their seat belts. Almost immediately thereafter, the pilot, following the contour of the ground, directed the path of the plane down into a depression. In a turn to avoid fog collected in this depression, the left wing of the plane dragged into the ground, throwing the plane out of control and into a road bank about 100 feet beyond. This point is 16 miles south of the Department of Commerce intermediate landing field at Kirksville.

The position and condition of the various parts of the wreckage, including propellers, wing flaps, landing gear, fuel and oil supply, as well as marks on the ground, all indicate that the airplane was in normal flight until the moment the wing tip dragged into the ground.

The exact time of the accident could not be fixed. The approximate time, 3:30 a.m., is calculated from known fuel consumption between Los Angeles and Albuquerque, where the plane was refueled, and from the amount of fuel