Page:CAB Accident Report, Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Flight 142.pdf/12

 Examination of the Wreckage

The examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of failure of the airplane or any of its parts prior to the time that it left the runway.

As previously mentioned, the component parts of the braking system mere removed to PCA's Pittsburgh shops, where they were thoroughly inspected and tested. The following participated in the inspection and tests: W. E. Koneczny, Air Safety Specialist (Structures), and H. V. Shebat, Air Safety Investigator, Safety Bureau, Civil Aeronautics Board; J. E. McAlam and R. L. Simons, Civil Aeronautics Administration Inspectors; and W. Howard Clarke, Superintendent of Maintenance for PCA. The brakes functioned normally during the tests, and all component parts were found to be in satisfactory condition. Nothing was revealed which would indicate that a brake failure had occurred. In addition, tests were conducted with a DC-3 airplane after squirting about 3 gallons of water into the four brake drums. The wetness of the brakes resulted in no perceptible delay in brake action.

Conduct of the Flight

The evidence shows that the flight was properly dispatched from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and that it was properly conducted up to the time that the landing at Morgantown, West Virginia, was begun. It appears further, that the weather conditions at Morgantown were above the prescribed minimums and satisfactory for a landing at the time.

It seems apparent that the probable cause of the accident is to be found in a combination of several factors. The evidence loads us to