Page:CAB Accident Report, US Overseas Airlines C-54-G crash (15 October 1959).pdf/1

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ADOPTED: September 14, 1960

U. S. OVERSEAS AIRLINES, INC., C-54-G, N 4000A, NEAR THE

U. S. NAVAL AIR STATION, JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, OCTOBER 15, 1959

At approximately 2105 e. d. t., October 15, 1959, a U. S. Overseas Airlines C-54-6, N 4000A, a cargo flight, was ditched in a small lake, caught fire, and sank In 10 feet of water approximately eight minutes after takeoff from the U. S. Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida, The two pilots, the only occupants, were seriously injured.

U. S. Overseas Airlines, Inc., operates both 6- and 8-fuel-tank C-54's, which have different fuel selector positions. The 6-tank system has a 2-position wing tank selector; the main tank positions are forward and the off positions are rear-ward. The 8-tank fuel system, which N 4000A had, has three tank selector positions; the auxiliary tank positions are forward, the main tank positions are center, and the off positions are rearward.

The accident was caused by fuel exhaustion due to the inadvertent positioning, prior to takeoff, of the four fuel selector to the nearly empty auxiliary tanks. During the four or more minutes that power was being lost, first on the No. 4 engine, then No. 3, then No. 2, the crew made no effort to reposition the fuel selectors to the full main tanks.

As a result of this accident, the company has blocked off the No. 2 and No. 3 tank selectors from the auxiliary positions on all 8-tank aircraft. Also, a large placard has been placed directly in front of the fuel tank selectors in all C-54 aircraft stating whether the aircraft has a 6-or 8-tank fuel system. The C-54 checklist has also been revised to require a response after MAIN TANKS of "Pull Forward"' on the 6-tank system, and "Center Position" on the 8-tank system.

Investigation N 4000A was engaged in a "Quicktrans" scheduled U. S. Navy contract cargo Flaght which originated In Oakland, California, the previous day. Captain Jewell Read and Copilot Gordon Cole was scheduled to make the flight from Jacksonville to MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, with a stop at Charleston, South Carolina.

N 4000A, flown by a different crew, arrived at Jacksonville NAS from Dallas at 1750. The two new crew members arrived for duty at 1800. The copilot completed the