Page:CAB Accident Report, American Airlines Flight 9.pdf/26

 8. Trip 9 proceeded without incident from Chicago until it arrived over the St. Louis radio range station at 2.31 p.m. at an altitude of 1,600 feet. 9. Captain Susott then executed a standard instrument let-down-through procedure and broke out of the overcast east of the Lambert-St. Louis Airport at an altitude of 400 feet above the level of the airport. 10. The condition of the airport had been affected by the construction of 60-foot poles just north of the east end of the No. 1 runway, by the accumulation of mud on the No. 1 runway about 1,500 feet from its east end, and by the filling of a low area in the southeast portion of the airport; these conditions were known to Captain Susott. 12. The ceiling at the airport was 400 feet, with lower scattered clouds at 200 feet; the visibility was one mile and light rain was falling. 13. After breaking out of the overcast, Captain Susott planned to land toward the east on the No. 4 runway but was unable to do so because of the poor visibility resulting from the presence of low-lying scattered clouds west of the airport. 14. Captain Susott then attempted to land toward the west on the No. 1 runway but missed his approach and found himself headed directly toward the poles, previously referred to, which are located on the north side of the runway. 15. Captain Susott turned sharply to the left to avoid the poles and then to the right in an effort to line up on No. 1 runway. This maneuver placed him south of the runway, in spite of which he elected to continue to a landing on the turf beyond the fill in the southeast corner of the airport.