Page:CAB Accident Report, American Airlines Flight 20.pdf/17

 First Officer Murray testified that during the landing approach the aircraft was in direct line with runway No. 6 and that at the time it passed over the airport boundary he could see the outline of the Aeronca factory on his right in what would be its normal location during a proper approach. He testified that at the same time he could see ahead of him the beacon light, the hangar lights, and lights in the vicinity of Ft. Thomas across the Ohio River. His recollection of the behavior of the aircraft following the encounter with the squall agreed with the description given by Captain Bryant. However, he did not recall having seen the green range lights at the south end of the runway or the red obstruction lights along the dike at the time the aircraft passed over the boundary of the field.

The airport control tower operator and several other witnesses who were present in the control tower, which is located in the northwest corner of the field, stated that they could see Trip 20 plainly as it circled the airport prior to landing and that it disappeared momentarily to the north of the airport and then reappeared as it approached runway No. 6 for a landing. These witnesses stated that after passing the edge of the field the aircraft rose slightly and power was applied to the engines. Some of the witnesses stated that it seemed that at this time the heading of the aircraft was changed. Due to the distance and the angle involved it is not thought possible for these witnesses to have determined accurately whether or not the aircraft actually changed its heading at this point, or, if so, to what extent.

A survey of the scene of the accident disclosed wheel tracks in the soft ground indicating that the aircraft had contacted the ground, while headed in a south-southeasterly direction, at a point 600 feet north of the levee and 726 feet east of runway No. 6. The tracks left in the soft ground headed directly into the levee and indicated the heading taken by