Page:CAB Accident Report, TWA Flight 891.pdf/48

 _43_

(8) The main piece of the wreckage struck the ground at M35 p.111. at about Seven kilometers from the pOint where the radio Signal mentioned in pomt 4) had been sent out ;

(9) The emergency conditions, which arose after the last radio contact mentioned in point (h), the diSintegration of the plane in flight and its crashing to the ground took place Within the space of about 2 minutes.

(10) No particular emergency measure appears to have been taken by the crew aboard the plane.

From the factual elements summed up above, it appears evident that the accident was of a sudden and Violent nature and was due to unexpected conditions of abnormality which rapidly resulted in the explosion of tank No. 7, immediately followed by either an excess of pressure or another explosmn in tank lilo. 6 (see par. 111.0, pOint c) and then by the plane's diSintegrating in flight (see par. 114.14, pOints a and b).

114.3 Position and altitude at which the disintegration occurred

0n the 138,318 of various conSiderations, and taking into account also some of the testimony believed to be reliable, it has been estimated that the pOSition where the disintegra- tion of the plane took place must have been in the air space above the area bounded by the towns of Ravello, Rescaldina and Nizzolina (see Annex XI-l).

However, as to the altitude at which the disintegration of the plane took place, considering also the fact that the flight instruments, because of the condition in which they were

found, did not supply any positive information (see par. 11.2.3.5} it has not been posmble to arrive at any conclusive and

definite results.

In particular, the study of the path of fall of some of the main wreckage parts which became separated from the plane in flight disclosed that their actual distribution on the ground was in agreement With that obtained from the calculations for three different combinations of speed and altitude (see

par. 1.1.14.2)-

Now, conSidering that:

[1] At 11:33 p.m., the time of the last radio Signal (par. 2th.? point 11), the plane should have been, according to operational procedure, at an altitude slightly below 11,000 feet;

[2] the accident occurred suddenly and rapidly and was over in about two minutes (per. lh.2, pOint 9);

[3] the operational procedures, subsequent to the last radio signal (par. 111.2, pOint 11) give as most probable for the