Page:CAB Accident Report, Eastern Air Lines Flight 14.pdf/23

 1. The accident which occurred at approximately 9:07 A.M. on April 3, 1941, to Eastern Air Lines Trip 14 of that date resulted in major damage to aircraft NC 21727 and serious injuries to ten passengers and the three crew members, and minor injuries to three passengers.

2. At the time of the accident Eastern Air Lines held a currently effective certificate of public convenience and necessity and an air carrier operating certificate authorizing it to conduct the flight.

3. Captain O'Brien and First Officer Crabtree were physically qualified and held proper certificates of competency to operate as air carrier pilots over the subject route.

4. Aircraft NC 21727 was currently certificated as airworthy at the time of the accident.

5. Trip 14 was cleared in accordance with company procedure from Miami, Florida, to Jacksonville, Florida, with Savannah, Georgia as an alternate.

6. At the time of departure from Miami, Florida, at the time of departure from West Palm Beach, Florida, and at the time of the accident, the gross weight of the airplane did not exceed the permissible gross weight and its load was properly distributed.

7. At the time of departure from Miami, Florida for Jacksonville, Florida, the aircraft carried sufficient fuel to permit flight at normal cruising power to Jacksonville and thereafter to permit it to proceed to its alternate airport with sufficient fuel still remaining in the tanks for about 45 minutes of flight.

8. Trip 14 proceeded normally from Miami, Florida, to West Palm Beach, Florida, and from that point on, except for circling in the vicinity of Stuart, Florida, until it entered a thunderstorm accompanied by severe turbulence in the vicinity of Vero Beach, Florida.

9. The weather forecasts predicted scattered thunderstorms and moderate turbulence along the Florida sector of Route 6. The airplane encountered a line squall accompanied by severe turbulence of undetermined intensity.

10. Eastern Air Lines' meteorologist did not observe weather sequence reports to the extent of recognizing a frontal system which was developing across Florida and extending to the east coast in the vicinity of Vero Beach.

11. A short time after entering the region of the thunderstorm west of Vero Beach, the aircraft went out of control and, after executing a series of maneuvers, struck the surface of a swamp about 10 miles west-southwest of Vero Beach, Florida, with resultant major damage.

12. There was no structural or power plant failure prior to the accident.

13. The engines were functioning normally at the time the aircraft struck the swamp.

14. The company transportation agent at West Palm Beach did not relay to Trip 14 a verbatim report of the weather conditions that Trip 10 reported at 8:32 A.M.

15. Eastern did not provide an adequate dispatching system together with a trained