Page:CAB Accident Report, Eastern Air Lines Flight 5.pdf/13

 it to conduct the flight.

3Captain Cann and First Officer Loveless were physically qualified and held proper certificates of competency to operate as air carrier pilots over a route between New York, New York, and Miami, Florida, via intermediate points.

4Aircraft NC 19970 was currently certificated as airworthy at the time of the accident.

5Trip 5 was cleared in accordance with proper procedure from New York, New York, to Washington, D. C., and from Washington, D. C., to Charleston, South Carolina.

6Trip 5 proceeded normally from New York, New York, to Washington, D. C.

7At the time of departure from Washington, D. C., and at the time of the accident the gross weight of the airplane did not exceed the permissible gross weight and the aircraft was loaded properly with reference to the location of the center of gravity.

8At the time of departure from Washington, D. C., for Charleston, South Carolina, the aircraft carried sufficient fuel to permit flight at normal cruising power to Charleston and thereafter for about five hours and twenty minutes, thus making available to Captain Cann a choice between Raleigh, North Carolina and Savannah, Georgia, the alternate airports.

9While in flight between Washington and Charleston, Trip 5 was cleared over Charleston to Jacksonville with a stop at Savannah, weather permitting, with appropriate alternates. This change in destination was accomplished in accordance with company procedure and the Civil Air Regulations.

10There was still ample fuel aboard the aircraft to accommodate this change in the flight plan even though Miami Municipal was designated as a new alternate.

11Although an erroneous weather report was transmitted via teletype at 1:30 a.m. by the Assistant Communications Operator at Savannah, corrective measures were taken by both him and the Civil Aeronautics Communications operator at Charleston immediately after it occurred.

12At the time of the accident the weather conditions at Savannah were below the approved minimums.

13The subject runway was being widened at the time of the accident. This construction work did not contribute to the accident.

14Captain Cann was flying the aircraft at the time of the accident.

15The landing was made without the use of flaps because Captain Cann had not been certain of being able to complete the landing.

16Although a weather report sent from the Savannah ground station to Trip 5 at 1:57 a.m. showed visibility of 1/2 mile, variable, and a report sent at 2:02 a.m. described the visibility as “not as good" as previously reported, Captain Cann elected to attempt a landing at Savannah.

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