Page:CAB Accident Report, Eastern Air Lines Flight 21.pdf/13

 in an accident in the vicinity of the radio range station, Eastern Air Lines operations personnel organized a searching party, which discovered the wreckage about 6:30 a.m. in a pine grove approximately 5 miles southeast of the radio range station, and 7 miles southeast of Candler Field.

A survey of the wreckage disclosed that, while traveling in a northerly direction, aircraft NC 28394 had first struck the tops of three small pine trees growing on a knoll located 1500 feet south of the final resting place. The lowest tree was struck at an elevation of 915 feet above sea level. The tops of these trees were broken off and several small pieces of red glass were picked up from the ground in this area, indicating that the left, or red, navigation light was shattered by contact with the trees. The aircraft apparently continued in an almost level flight attitude across a small valley in a northerly direction for approximately 1500 feet. There is an open field in this valley which is bordered on the north and east by a thick growth of pine and north of the field the terrain rises gently for a distance of several hundred feet. As the plane reached the northeast corner of the field the right wing tip struck the top of a poplar tree standing on the edge of the field. The point of impact with this tree was 946 feet above sea level. The aircraft then struck several scattered pine trees, and finally crashed in a thick pine grove.

The aircraft was completely demolished. Both wings had been sheared off by pine trees approximately eight inches in diameter and the major portion of the wreckage was found about 35 feet from where the first wing