Page:CAB Accident Report, Braniff Airways Flight 542.pdf/5

 -5- wreckage Distribution and General Damage

The wreckage was distributed Within a long, narrow ellipse, the maJor axis of which was approximately ceincident with the 3hh~degree radial of the Leona omni. The first item found at the southern edge of the wreckage pattern was a nine—inch section of hydraulic line from the left heat exchanger, and.its peeition.was fixed as 1T.h miles north of the Leona station. Proceeding northerly from this pOint toward the main wreckage, the magor components were located in this order No. l propeller and gearbox, left w1ng (including No. 1 engine and the No. 2 powerplant), ﬁe. h powerplant; left outboard stablilzer section; right outboard wing panel; followed by the main wreckage area cuneisting of fuselage, empennage; No. 3

powerplant, and right Wing stub.

The wreckage was strewn for a total distance of 13,900 feet from the first recovered.item to the nose crater, with some lateral spread of the debris, due in part to Wlnd effect, the lighter pieces being generally'east of the more dense ones. Two parts of high denSity, and therefore suhgected to only slight tragectory deriation, were the No. l propeller and gearbox package and the No. h powerplant. The direction between these was 3hl degrees, magnetic.

At the main area, 3.19 miles from the highway intersection in Buffalo and on a bearing of 92-75 degrees from that intersection, there were three baSic concentra— tions of wreckage, one around the nose crater, one at the center section crater, and one at the tail cone. In addition, there was a Wide scatter of aircraft parts and debris. Light material, such as paper, plastic, and insulation was found as far away as a half—mile to the north and northeast.

The material at and west of the nose crater was, without exception3 identified as fuselage and fuselage—contained components from the nose to fuselage station S?0 This debris covered an area of about 20,000 square feet of open, plowed ground. The nose crater, about four feet deep, was at the easternmost end of the area, ano the fuselage material was fanned out westward for a distance of 200 feet. ApprOXi— matily 90 percent of the forward fuselage was in crushed sections of two feet square or see.

The second concentration was apprOXimately 900 feet northeast of the nose crater and in a heavy growth of scrub oak. The material in this Vicinity conSisted of the center section, right Wing fragments, the We. 3 powerplant, rear cabin structure, and components related to these portions of the airframe. The direction of travel here at the time of impact was 320—3h0 degrees as indicated by tree breaks and ground lurrows.

The tail section was located 250 feet northwest of the center section, with the rudder and elevator control cables lying across the tops of the intervening trees.

The trees between the three areas were undisturbed except at localized points where loose obJects had passed through the branches.

Systems

' The cockpit of the aircraft was almost totally demolishedi Those portions which were recovered were found at the bottmn of the crater made by the nose of