Page:CAB Accident Report, American Airlines Flight 9.pdf/18

 had and was using the beam to guide me from the range station to the field. In other words, it is an auxiliary aid ... and it assured me of returning in a westerly direction to the field.... I felt that coming down this beam I would be fairly well in line with this runway and also the point at which I had planned to land on ... I picked up the approach lights some distance ahead and off to my left. Having picked up the approach lights, I slowed down the ship ... and I was going to prepare the ship for landing and following the approach lights we lost some altitude, the exact amount I am unable to say, as I was watching the approach lights off to my left.

"I naturally wanted to see if my line of landing was coming pretty well in order. Looking over the front of the ship's nose and through the front windshield which had a light rain on the windshield I looked through and saw these poles. There were some partly ahead of me, of course, with red lights on top of them, but they were absolutely in my line of flight. I was still above the height of the poles. I changed the line of flight.

"Making this turn I did not feel that it was very advisable to use flaps and turn; this turn was made to my left to avoid striking, or to avoid continuing in a straight line and coming—maybe missing the poles, but it looked too close. This turn was made rather sharply, naturally being somewhat surprised to find the poles in my line of fight, then I decided after making this turn and crossing the runway that there was still plenty of room in the airport to land the airplane successfully, so I again turned the ship to the right trying to parallel runway No. 1.