Page:CAB Accident Report, United Airlines Flight 16.pdf/13

 and its equipment had been properly maintained and were in an airworthy condition at the time of the take-off from Oakland for Salt Lake City on November 3.

HISTORY OF THE FLIGHT

The flight plan prepared for Trip 16 by Captain Fey at Oakland and signed by him. First Officer Sandegren, and Philip Showalter. United dispatcher at Oakland, provided for a flight from Oakland to Salt Lake City with stops at San Francisco and Sacramento, California, and Reno and Elko, Nevada. He estimated the total time from Oakland to Salt Lake City, including taxiing time, as 4 hours and 9 minutes. Captain Fey anticipated contact flight from Oakland to Reno with northwesterly winds of about 10 to 12 miles per hour at flight altitudes * and an instrument flight from Reno to Salt Lake City with a west wind from 18 to 22 miles per hour at flight altitudes. In view of the fact that instrument weather conditions prevailed at Salt Lake City, Wendover, Utah, was designated as an alternate field for Salt Lake City in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Civil Air Regulations.

Trip 16 departed Oakland at 10.tif:20 p.m. (MST * ), cleared by the United dispatcher at Oakland, to Reno, Nevada, in accordance with company procedure. The flight proceeded without incident to Reno, departing from that point at 1.tif:00 a.m., cleared to Salt Lake City by United's Salt Lake City dispatcher. The 12.tif:35 a.m. sequence weather reports were available at Reno at the time Trip 16 was dispatched and were attached to the company clearance form. These reports showed that at Elko the ceiling was unlimited with scattered clouds at 3500 feet and visibility over 9 miles. At Ventosa, Nevada, and Wendover, Utah,