Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 19 August 1964
Aircraft Type: Douglas C-47-DL (DC-3)
Owner/operator: Hawthorne Nevada Airlines
Registration Number: N61350
Location: near Tonopah, NV – ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: Take off
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 35
Component Affected: DC-3 aircraft components, particularly the right engine cylinder and the left front master rod bearing.DC-3 aircraft components, particularly the right engine cylinder and the left front master rod bearing.
Investigating Agency: NTSBNTSB
Category: Accident
A DC-3 aircraft experienced a significant emergency during a flight between Burbank and Hawthorne, resulting in a hard landing. A no. 2 engine failure forced the crew to shut down the engine and feather the propeller. Subsequently, the 1st engine lost power, and the propeller could not be feathered, leading to an emergency glide towards Mud Lake airfield. The aircraft struck the ground at a high angle, resulting in an overturned fuselage. Investigation revealed multiple maintenance irregularities, including improperly adjusted valve clearances, voltage regulator issues, and cylinder installation problems, contributing to the incident.A DC-3 aircraft experienced a significant emergency during a flight between Burbank and Hawthorne, resulting in a hard landing. A no. 2 engine failure forced the crew to shut down the engine and feather the propeller. Subsequently, the 1st engine lost power, and the propeller could not be feathered, leading to an emergency glide towards Mud Lake airfield. The aircraft struck the ground at a high angle, resulting in an overturned fuselage. Investigation revealed multiple maintenance irregularities, including improperly adjusted valve clearances, voltage regulator issues, and cylinder installation problems, contributing to the incident.

Description

The DC-3 was cruising at FL115 between Burbank and Hawthorne when a no. 2 engine failure forced the crew to shut the engine down and feathered the propeller. At 20:50 EDT the crew radioed Tonopah, NV and said they wanted to make an emergency landing there. At 20:58 EDT the no. 1 engine lost power. The propeller couldn’t be feathered and an emergency glide was initiated towards Mud Lake airfield. A 2000 feet/min rate of descent was necessary to maintain a 110 knots airspeed. All electrical and hydraulic power was lost during the descent. The DC-3 struck the ground in a 10-20 degree nose down attitude during the flareout and overturned. It appeared that there were numerous maintenance irregularities, a.o. improperly adjusted valve clearances, improperly adjusted voltage regulators and improperly installed cylinders. The plane was equipped with 2 28V dc generators and one 12V battery. All electrical components other than the starters were designed for 12V dc operation. It also appeared that all maintenance was performed by companies other than the operator. In many instances inadequate and incomplete records failed to reflect work accomplished. PROBABLE CAUSE: “In flight failure of both engines caused by a fatigue failure on the right engine No.12 cylinder and failure of the left front master rod bearing, necessitating a night emergency landing on unlighted terrain. Inadequate maintenance and inspection.”

Primary Cause

Inadequate maintenance and inspection, specifically related to a fatigue failure in the right engine cylinder and a bearing failure in the left front master rod, leading to a hard landing.Inadequate maintenance and inspection, specifically related to a fatigue failure in the right engine cylinder and a bearing failure in the left front master rod, leading to a hard landing.

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