Page:CAB Accident Report, TWA crash on 17 May 1940.pdf/5

 a cruising altitude of 16,000 feet, instruments authorized, with deviations from the civil airway at the pilot's discretion. Amarillo, Texas, was designated as the alternate airport.

The clearance was based on a trip forecast made by the TWA meteorologist at Kansas City and the latest United States Weather Bureau sequence reports. An analysis of the weather conditions along the route was made by Captain Bryan and E. J. Minser, Chief Meteorologist for TWA, who accompanied the flight as an observer. The result of this analysis showed that numerous thunderstorms and moderate to heavy rain squalls were to be expected between Kansas City and Albuquerque. As previously stated, the flight had been authorized to leave the airway in order to detour the heavier thunderstorms but it was not anticipated that lengthy deviations would be necessary.

Captain Bryan taxied to the southwest end of the northeast-southwest runway of the Kansas City Municipal Airport, and after running up the engines, made a normal take-off at approximately 2:43 p.m. The flight reported its position over Lobo, Kansas, at 16,000 feet at 3:20 p.m. proceeding contact on a compass heading of 235 degrees. At this time the cabin was supercharged to an air density equivalent to 9,000 feet altitude.

The flight arrived over Cassodny, Kansas, at 3:37 p.m., at which point Captain Bryan elected to leave the airway in order to avoid thunderstorms in his flight path. The aircraft was headed on a