1941-OCT-30 · Lawrence Station, Ontario, Canada

American Airlines — Flight 1

American Airlines Flight 1, a Douglas DC-3 named Flagship Erie, crashed into a wheat field near Lawrence Station, Ontario, during the Buffalo to Detroit leg of a multi-stop scheduled flight from New York to Chicago. The aircraft was observed performing a series of descending circles to the right, with the radius of the turns progressively diminishing. After approximately four circles, the plane recovered from the spiral at a low altitude, climbed suddenly to between 200 and 500 feet, and likely stalled. It then dived into the ground at a 70 degree angle and burst into flames, killing all 20 people on board. Despite a four month investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board, the cause of the erratic maneuvers and subsequent crash could not be determined.

Aircraft

Douglas DC-3-277B

Registration

NC25663

Phase

Cause

Unknown

Souls on Board

Fatalities

Origin → Dest

New York, NY → Chicago, IL

Report

Investigation Summary

Flight 1 was a multi-stop transcontinental service known as 'the New Yorker'. On the night of the accident, the aircraft departed Buffalo at 21:07 for the leg to Detroit. Ground witnesses near Lawrence Station observed the aircraft flying in a manner that suggested a controlled but unusual descent. The aircraft entered a spiral to the right, completing about four full circles. As the radius of these circles tightened, the aircraft lost altitude until it was in close proximity to the ground. At the end of the spiral, the aircraft made a sudden 'zoom' or steep climb, reaching an altitude of several hundred feet before losing airspeed and stalling. The resulting dive was nearly vertical, striking the ground in a nose-down attitude. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed the airframe, leaving little evidence for investigators to determine why the crew had initiated the spiral or why they were unable to maintain level flight after the recovery from the descent.

Final Conclusions

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) released its final report (File No. 5669-41) approximately four months after the accident. The board concluded that the probable cause was 'Undetermined'. While the flight path was well-documented by witnesses, no mechanical failure or crew incapacitation could be proven to explain the spiral descent and final stall.

Video Analysis

No video analysis linked for this case file yet.

Airframe & Maintenance

Airframe Hours

3,868

Engines

Wright R-1820-G102

Systems & Failure Modes

Wright R-1820-G102 Engines

The aircraft was powered by two Wright Cyclone engines; no evidence of engine failure was cited as a definitive cause for the spiral.

Interesting Facts

01The aircraft was a Douglas DC-3-277B named 'Flagship Erie'.
02All 17 passengers and 3 crew members were killed in the accident.
03The crash occurred approximately one half mile east of Lawrence Station, Ontario.
04The aircraft struck the ground at an angle of approximately 70 degrees with the horizontal.
05The investigation lasted four months but failed to identify a probable cause.
06At the time of the accident, it was the deadliest aviation disaster in Canadian history.

Safety Actions & Advisories

Commemorative Memorial Plaque

Source ↗

On September 10, 2018, a commemorative plaque was erected at the crash site by the Southwold SS12 school committee and local history groups to outline the events and remember the victims.