Page:CAB Accident Report, United Airlines Flight 21.pdf/29

 area, and continued to lose altitude slowly until it reached a point about 700 feet southeast of the southeast corner of the airport at an altitude estimated between 150 and 200 feet. At this point the airplane whipped off violently to the left and plunged to the ground.

The northwest runway upon which the airplane was intending to land begins at the intersection of West 63rd Street and Cicero Avenue and extends in a northwesterly direction to the railroad which now forms the northern boundary of the airport. South Keating Avenue lies one block east of South Cicero Avenue and West 64th Street lies one block south of West 63rd Street. Facing east on South Keating Avenue between West 63rd Street and West 64th Street is a row of single-family houses (See Figure B). Damage to the roof of the second of these houses from the corner of West 64th Street and South Keating Avenue indicated that the aircraft had struck first at a point about 25 inches from the front peak of the roof, then dragged across the roof in a general westerly direction bearing slightly south and tore out the rear corner of the roof. The airplane was apparently moving in a westerly direction with the wings in a vertical or nearly vertical position, the left wing tip striking first, digging in and curling up as it progressed across the roof, the airplane yawing about 60 degrees. It struck the ground nose down in a nearly vertical attitude in the back yard of the house on the corner of West 64th Street and South Keating Avenue. Upon impact the nose section, the pilot's cockpit, and compartments forward of the passenger cabin were completely demolished. The engines were torn loose from the structure and left partially buried at the point of