Page:CAB Accident Report, Eastern Air Lines Flight 21.pdf/26

 7. At the time of departure from Washington, D. C., for Atlanta, Georgia, the aircraft carried sufficient fuel to permit flight at normal cruising power to Atlanta and thereafter to permit it to proceed to Charlotte, its alternate airport with sufficient fuel still remaining in the tanks for more than 45 minutes of flight thereafter.

8. Trip 21 proceeded normally from New York, New York, to Washington, D. C., and from Washington, D. C., until it arrived in the vicinity of Atlanta.

9. Weather reports for Atlanta consistently had indicated variable conditions of ceiling and visibility. However, Trip 19, which arrived at Atlanta just prior to Trip 21's arrival over the Stone Mountain fan marker, reported the weather at Atlanta to be equal to those weather minimums authorized in Eastern Air Lines' letter of competency.

10. After arriving over the Atlanta radio range station, Captain Perry began an instrument let-down-through procedure.

11. While executing this procedure, Trip 21 descended to an altitude of 39 feet below the elevation of the airport where it contacted a number of trees and was demolished approximately 5 miles southeast of the Atlanta radio range station.

12. Considerable power was being applied to the engines at the time the aircraft contacted the trees and the ground.

13. The evidence does not show whether Captain Perry or Pilot Thomas was flying the aircraft at the time of the accident.

14. Aircraft NC 28394, its engines and all of its equipment, with the possible exception of the altimeters, were apparently functioning normally until its contact with the trees.