Page:CAB Accident Report, United Airlines Flight 21.pdf/11



The flight plan prepared for Trip 21 by Captain Scott, First Officer Young, and Gentry W. Stuart, United Dispatcher at LaGuardia Field, provided for a flight from LaGuardia Field to Chicago, Illinois, with stops at Philadelphia and Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Akron and Cleveland, Ohio. Captain Scott estimated his total flying time from New York to Chicago as 5 hours and 38 minutes, plus 30 minutes for landings and take-offs at intermediate stops. He anticipated contact flight from New York to Philadelphia with northwest winds of 15 miles per hour at flight altitude; contact flight from Philadelphia to Allentown with the same wind conditions; contact flight from Allentown to Akron with southwest winds of 35 miles per hour; contact flight from Akron to Cleveland with southwest winds of 36 miles per hour; and instrument flight from Cleveland to Chicago with southwest winds of 40 miles per hour. Akron was designated as the alternate airport for the portion of the trip from New York to Cleveland and Moline, Illinois, as the alternate for Chicago.

Trip 21 was off the ground at LaGuardia Field at 9:05 a.m., cleared by the company dispatcher at that point to Cleveland in accordance with company procedure. The record shows that Captain Scott arrived at Cleveland with a notation in his fight log that the right motor was cutting out on the left switch. Captain Scott reported to the ground crew at Cleveland that this trouble had occurred on LaGuardia Field but had cleared up prior to take-off.