Incident Overview
Date: Sunday 19 January 1930
Aircraft Type: Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor
Owner/operator: Maddux Airlines
Registration Number: NC9689
Location: Oceanside, CA –
ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 16 / Occupants: 16
Component Affected: Aircraft wing tipAircraft wing tip
Category: Accident
A Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor aircraft impacted the ground near Oceanside, California, suffering a catastrophic fire due to severe weather conditions. The aircraft departed from Agua Caliente, Mexico at 17:30 hours, encountering blinding rain and a sudden squall that caused a loss of altitude and a nose-first impact. The investigation concluded the accident was a result of an unforeseen local weather condition.A Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor aircraft impacted the ground near Oceanside, California, suffering a catastrophic fire due to severe weather conditions. The aircraft departed from Agua Caliente, Mexico at 17:30 hours, encountering blinding rain and a sudden squall that caused a loss of altitude and a nose-first impact. The investigation concluded the accident was a result of an unforeseen local weather condition.
Description
The Ford 5-AT-C Tri-Motor was destroyed by fire after it impacted the ground near Oceanside, California in poor weather conditions. The aircraft had departed Agua Caliente, Mexico at 17:30 hours. The flight ran into blinding rain from a sudden squall that had blown in from the Pacific. The aircraft suddenly lost altitude and the left wing tip touched the ground, throwing the plane on its nose. The T.A.T.-Maddux technical board of inquiry stated that the accident was the result of “a local weather condition of unpredicted and unforeseen characteristics.”
Primary Cause
Unforeseen and unexpected local weather conditions during a squall.Unforeseen and unexpected local weather conditions during a squall.Share on:
