Investigation Summary
Flight 75 was operating a scheduled service from New York to Atlanta via Baltimore. While cruising at 14,000 feet, the crew requested a course deviation to avoid thunderstorms. At 16:10, the pilots reported slowing the aircraft to 170 knots to mitigate turbulence. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft encountered extreme atmospheric conditions that caused a total loss of control. The Vickers Viscount entered a high-speed dive, reaching an estimated 335 knots, which was 15% beyond its never-exceed speed (Vne). The resulting aerodynamic loads caused both horizontal stabilizers to fail simultaneously, snapping downward at approximately 5,000 feet. This failure induced a violent nose-down pitch, creating gyroscopic and inertial loads that tore all four engine nacelles upward. The right wing separated under extreme downward pressure, followed by the vertical stabilizer and the disintegration of the left wing. A flash fire occurred as the left wing's fuel tanks were breached during the breakup.
Final Conclusions
The Civil Aeronautics Board determined the probable cause was a loss of control in severe turbulence, resulting in an involuntary steep descent. the descent generated aerodynamic loads in excess of the aircraft's design strength, leading to a complete structural failure of the airframe in flight.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Captain W. C. Paddack. Properly qualified and certificated.
Systems & Failure Modes
Horizontal Stabilizers
The primary structures that failed first, separating downward due to excessive aerodynamic loads during the high-speed descent.
Engine Nacelles
The mounting structures for the four engines, which failed upward due to the combination of gyroscopic forces and inertia when the aircraft pitched violently.
Vertical Stabilizer
Torn from the fuselage along with portions of the tail section due to violent yawing forces after the wings began to fail.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft reached a speed approximately 5% in excess of the design diving speed (Vd) and 15% in excess of the never-exceed speed (Vne).
- 02All four engine nacelles broke upward due to gyroscopic loads and inertia during the violent pitch-down.
- 03The disintegration of the left wing caused a flash fire before the fuselage impacted the ground.
- 04The accident occurred approximately 4 minutes before the crew's estimated time over the Westminster waypoint.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Weather Dispatch Procedures
The CAB noted that Capital Airlines dispatch had received updated weather information regarding a squall line but failed to ensure the flight crew received it, especially since the aircraft's radar was inoperative. The investigation emphasized the need for dispatch to proactively relay deteriorating weather data to flights without functional radar.
Location
APPROXIMATE POSITION · AIRPORT LEVEL · Coordinates are the estimate published in the official investigation report. The ring shows the accuracy the record supports, not the point of impact.