Page:CAB Accident Report, United Airlines Flight 16.pdf/19

 - 17 - 14:40 AM - Fey, Trip 16::: We are over Layton at 8,000 feet now. Edson: TOK, Howard. The wind is north about 3 and stil1 think it is OK to land straight in.' Fey: The stuff is broken out here much better.! Edson: "OK, Howard, 114:41 AM - Edson, Salt Lake City to Hay: The north boundary lights now obscured. The visibility about 3/4 of a mile but very Variable, Fey acknowledged." Dispatcher Edson attempted many times thereafter to contact Trip 16 but no further word was received from the trip. During the hour that Trip 16 was flying in the vicinity of Salt Lake City, the reports of weather observations made by United States Weather Bureau observers in Salt Lake City indicate that the ceiling and visibility were highly variable by reason of frequent snow squalls. The weather reports show that at 3:04 a.m. there was a snow ceiling of 1300 feet with visibility of 8 miles, at 3:35 a snow ceiling of 400 feet with visibility of 5/8 of a mile, at 3:50 a ceiling of 2700 feet with visibility of over 9 miles, at 4:13 a snow ceiling of 900 feet and visir. bility of 3 miles, and at 4:35 a ceiling of 1000 feet and visibility of 5 miles. During this period light to moderate snow was reported with north and northwest winds of 4 to 7 miles per hour. As is indicated by the radio log, both Captain Fey and the ground station were experiencing heavy static intermittently. The flight recorder card which was recovered from the airplane shows that following a normal climb after leaving Elko, the airplane cruised at about 13,000 feet, descending as it approached Salt Lake City to about 12,000 feet following which it again ascended. This would indicate that Captain Fey, after Fey and Dispatcher Elson at 3:43 (see page 15). Captain Fey apparently had heard the 3:35 weather report indicating visibility of 5/8 of a nile. Dis- patcher Edson, who was at the remote microphone on the airport, had not hear, this report but was personally observing the weather. After this con- versation with Captain Fey, he requested the Weather Bureau to make a special observation. This was done and the report made at 3:50 indicated visibility of over 9 miles,
 * The 3:35 and 3:50 weather reports explain the conversation between Captain