Incident Overview
Date: Saturday 3 October 1942
Aircraft Type: Vought-Sikorsky VS-44
Owner/operator: American Export Airlines
Registration Number: NC41880
Location: Botwood Seaplane Base, NL –
ÿ Canada
Phase of Flight: Take off
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 37
Component Affected: Wing flapsWing flaps
Investigating Agency: CABCAB
Category: Accident
A flying boat crashed on takeoff due to excessive nose-heavy condition caused by improper wing flap actuation.A flying boat crashed on takeoff due to excessive nose-heavy condition caused by improper wing flap actuation.
Description
Porpoised and crashed on takeoff. The flying boat operated on a flight from New York’s LaGuardia Marine Air Terminal to Shannon, Ireland with an en route stop at Botwood, Canada. PROBABLE CAUSE: “Inadvertent actuation of the wing flaps to the full 35ø down position during the take-off run, thereby rendering the aircraft excessively nose-heavy and uncontrollable.
Primary Cause
Inadvertent actuation of the wing flaps to the full 35ø down position during the take-off run, thereby rendering the aircraft excessively nose-heavy and uncontrollable.Inadvertent actuation of the wing flaps to the full 35ø down position during the take-off run, thereby rendering the aircraft excessively nose-heavy and uncontrollable.Share on:
