Page:CAB Accident Report, 1945 Page Airways Accident.pdf/2



Lockheed NC 33328 departed the 36th Street Airport, Miami, Florida, for New York, N.Y., via the National Airport, Washington, D.C., about 0505 EWT, approximately one hour and 37 minutes before sunrise, on April 27, 1945. Aboard were 14 passengers, their baggage and a reported 525 gallons of fuel. The weight of the aircraft, as estimated by company personnel, was approximately 18,500 lbs. (nearly 900 lbs. in excess of the allowable weight) and the disposable weight had been arranged by the company agent to give an estimated satisfactory center of gravity position. Except for generator trouble, the flight progressed uneventfully in contact weather with arrival at Washington at 1030 where a normal landing was made.

At Washington three passengers and their baggage were deplaned and the aircraft was refueled with 376 gallons of 91 octane gasoline. Mechanics of one of the scheduled air carriers operating from this airport made repairs on one of the generators. The other generator could not be repaired in the time available and was left inoperative.

About 1235 the aircraft, with 11 passengers and baggage, was taxied to the downwind end of the NW-SE runway for the next leg of the flight to New York. It was estimated by the crew that the weight of the aircraft was 17,300 lbs. and that the center of gravity was within allowable limits. The captain ran up and tested both engines and the copilot asked and received take-off permission from the control tower. The wind was averaging 22 m.p.h. from the general direction of 315° and was gusty.

Take-off was started on Runway 33 and the aircraft became airborne after travelling approximately 1,000 feet. Upon gaining an altitude of 10 or 15 feet the captain ordered "gear up” and the copilot complied. A few seconds later, when the gear was up, or nearly up, the captain sensed a power interruption with the aircraft yawing to the left. Concurrently he called out "Single engine”, throttled both engines, ordered the landing gear down and lowered the nose of the aircraft slightly. After a few seconds had elapsed the landing gear was fully down. At the time of throttling the engines the aircraft was approximately one-half way down the 5200-foot runway and was at an altitude of which the most plausible consensus as 30 feet. First contact with the ground was made on the same runway at a speed the pilot estimated as 100 miles per hour. The aircraft bounced to an estimated height of 15 or 20 feet and made contact again on the sodded ground a few feet to the right side of the same runway. From this point on it twice again left the ground for distances of 189 and 728 feet. Brakes were applied intermittently during the second, the third, and the final contact with the ground. At some undetermined point following initial contact the captain applied 20° of flap. Decelerating rapidly after the final contact the aircraft continued to roll to the right of the runway, diverging slightly, for a total distance of about 535 feet. It passed beyond the end of the runway and when an estimated 60 or 70 feet from a large drainage ditch nearly at right angles to the course, the pilot attempted to groundloop to the right. However, the plane turned

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