Accident Douglas C-54B-10-DO (DC-4) N86574,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 335449
 

Date:Wednesday 7 January 1953
Time:20:55
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC4 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Douglas C-54B-10-DO (DC-4)
Owner/operator:Flying Tiger Line
Registration: N86574
MSN: 18350
Year of manufacture:1944
Total airframe hrs:20078 hours
Engine model:Pratt & Whitney R-2000-7
Fatalities:Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Aircraft damage: Destroyed, written off
Category:Accident
Location:3 km S of Issaquah, WA -   United States of America
Phase: Approach
Nature:Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:San Francisco International Airport, CA (SFO/KSFO)
Destination airport:Seattle-Boeing Field International Airport, WA (BFI/KBFI)
Investigating agency: CAB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Flying Tiger's Flight 841 was a ferry flight from Burbank to Seattle, to pick up military personnel. An intermediate stop was made at San Francisco, from where it departed at 17:37. The enroute part of the flight was uneventful and Seattle ARTC then cleared the flight to descend to and maintain 9,000 feet. The flight was later cleared down to 7,000 feet until approach control cleared the plane to make a standard range approach to Boeing Field and requested to report leaving each 1,000-foot level during the descent. The following weather information was given the flight at this time: "Boeing Field - 1800 scattered, 2200 overcast, 8 miles, wind south-southeast 22, gusts to 30, altimeter 2925; Seattle-Tacoma - measured 1900 broken with 3100 over-cast." Flight 841 acknowledged this clearance and reported leaving 7,000 feet at 20:40. Two minutes later it reported being over the outer marker and leaving the 6,000-foot level. No report of leaving the 5,000-foot level was made and at 20:45 the flight advised it was leaving 4,000 feet. When the latter was acknowledged by approach control the flight was further advised as follows: "If you're not VFR by the time you reach the range you can shuttle on the northwest course at 2,000 feet, it's possible you'll break out in the vicinity of Boeing Field for a south landing." The flight acknowledged at 20:50 and said it was leaving 3,000 feet. The last radio contact was when the crew acknowledged their clearance to contact Boeing Tower for landing instructions. The airplane descended until it struck a high tree on a mountain ridge at an elevation of 1,620 feet. Following impact with the tree the aircraft continued flying and finally struck the ground in a canyon 1500 feet below, at the base of Squak Mountain and caught fire.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The flight's deviation from the established approach procedure to Boeing Field."

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: CAB
Report number: final report
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report

Sources:

CAB File No. 1-0001
ICAO Circular 38-AN/33 (141-143)

Location

Revision history:

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