Investigation Summary
The flight originated in Detroit with stops in Cleveland and Akron. After departing Akron at 23:07, the crew encountered deteriorating weather including rain. While fog was not explicitly reported by the crew en route, weather reports for the Winston-Salem area indicated that low ceilings and fog were highly probable, and by 01:27, Winston-Salem was reporting fog and one mile visibility. At 00:42, the pilot reported being over Roanoke at 10,000 feet, but investigators later determined the aircraft was actually 53 miles north of that position. Despite this, the pilot continued to provide false position reports, claiming to be over Greensboro at 01:10 and over the Winston-Salem radio range station at 01:15. Navigation was further complicated by technical issues at the Winston-Salem radio range station, which suffered intermittent power failures due to a short circuit in the Duke Power Company's electrical system. Additionally, the Winston-Salem frequency was prone to interference from other stations, specifically Patterson Radio in Ohio. The pilot, likely misled by these signals or erroneous dead reckoning, believed he was in the immediate vicinity of Winston-Salem and began a let-down. The aircraft struck trees and a knoll while in a level cruise configuration with flaps and gear retracted. While initial police reports placed the crash 58 miles from Winston-Salem, the CAB final findings determined the impact point was 63 miles northwest of the station. A single passenger survived after being pulled from the burning wreckage by local residents.
Final Conclusions
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) concluded that the probable cause was the action of the pilot in attempting a let-down without having positively determined the position of the aircraft. Contributing to the accident was the erroneous navigation of the pilot, which led him to believe he was farther south than his actual position on at least two occasions. The board also noted the pilot's deviation from standard route procedures, which required approaching Winston-Salem via Greensboro to ensure reliable radio navigation.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Hours on type refers to time as pilot in command of DC-3 equipment.
Systems & Failure Modes
Winston-Salem Radio Range
A medium-powered loop-type range station that lacked voice facilities and a standby power supply at the time of the accident.
Direction Finding (DF) Receivers
The aircraft's manual DF receiver was found tuned to 379 kc (Winston-Salem) with the loop in the 'rain static' position.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Douglas C-49-DO (c/n 3274), originally ordered by Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) as NC1949 and later impressed by the USAAF as 41-7689.
- 02The Winston-Salem radio range station was inoperative for over an hour starting shortly after the crash due to a total power failure.
- 03The pilot, Captain H. M. Haskew, had 3,511 total flying hours but only 230 hours as pilot in command of DC-3 equipment.
- 04The aircraft struck the ground in a laterally and longitudinally level position at normal cruise power.
- 05One passenger, 25-year-old William Keyes Jr., survived the crash and subsequent fire.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Radio Range Infrastructure
Following the accident, the Civil Aeronautics Administration installed a separate standby generator for the Winston-Salem radio range station to prevent future power-related outages.