Investigation Summary
The aircraft was a military-surplus C-54 converted for civilian use, which had inaugurated AOA's international service just one year prior. On the night of the accident, the crew had been on a 12-hour rest layover following their diversion. At the time of departure, the sky was overcast at 5,000 feet, which completely obscured celestial light and left the surrounding hilly terrain in total darkness. While the flight was originally cleared for Runway 30, a wind shift led the tower to suggest Runway 07. Standard procedure for Runway 07 required an immediate right turn after liftoff to clear the hills. For reasons never fully determined, the crew maintained the takeoff heading for approximately seven miles until impacting Hare Hill (also known as Crash Hill). Due to the extreme difficulty of the terrain, recovery teams eventually used dynamite to blast the cliffside over the wreckage, creating a mass grave for the victims.
Final Conclusions
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) determined the probable cause was the action of the pilot in maintaining the direction of takeoff toward higher terrain over which adequate clearance could not be gained. Contributing factors included the lack of visual ground references due to the overcast night and the change in departure runway which required a non-linear climb path that the crew failed to follow.
Video Analysis
The Crash of Flagship New England — A detailed look at the 1946 American Overseas Airlines crash in Newfoundland, exploring the navigational errors and the challenging recovery efforts on Crash Hill.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
William A. Westerfield
Copilot
Robert Beckman Lehr
Systems & Failure Modes
Visual Navigation
The crew relied on visual reference in a region with unlit terrain; overcast skies blocked moonlight, leading to a loss of situational awareness.
Departure Procedures
Standard operating procedure for Runway 07 required an immediate right turn to avoid terrain, which was not executed.
Interesting Facts
- 01The crash was the deadliest aviation accident in Newfoundland's history at the time.
- 02The aircraft was the same one used to launch American Overseas Airlines' international services in 1945.
- 03Most passengers were wives and children of U.S. servicemen stationed in Allied-occupied Germany.
- 04The crash site was so inaccessible that rescuers used dynamite to bury the wreckage and remains in situ.
- 05The location of the impact is now locally known as 'Crash Hill'.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Terrain Awareness Improvements
The accident highlighted the dangers of night departures toward unlit high terrain, reinforcing the need for strict adherence to instrument departure procedures even in VFR-like visibility when ground lighting is absent.
Revised Departure Procedures
Source ↗Following the investigation, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) and the airline revised departure procedures for Stephenville-Harmon Field to mandate specific climb gradients and turn requirements to ensure terrain clearance during night operations.