Narrative:
The C-54A transport plane was not able to land at the destination of RAF St. Mawgan due to poor weather and an inoperative radio compass.
The pilot decided to divert to RAF Exeter. Then the navigator and checkpilot realised they had used the wrong barometric pressure setting for the altimeter, causing the airplane to be too low. The airplane then impacted a hillside and caught fire.
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
| Status: | |
| Date: | Wednesday 18 October 1944 |
| Type: |  Douglas C-54A-15-DC (DC-4) |
| Operator: | United States Army Air Force - USAAF |
| Registration: | 42-72249 |
| MSN: | 10354 |
| First flight: | 1944 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | Langstone Downs, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall ( United Kingdom)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Terceira-Lajes AFB, Azores (TER/LPLA), Portugal |
| Newquay-St Mawgan RAF Station (NQY/EGDG), United Kingdom |
The C-54A transport plane was not able to land at the destination of RAF St. Mawgan due to poor weather and an inoperative radio compass.
The pilot decided to divert to RAF Exeter. Then the navigator and checkpilot realised they had used the wrong barometric pressure setting for the altimeter, causing the airplane to be too low. The airplane then impacted a hillside and caught fire.
Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
Sources:
» Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research (AAIR)Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Terceira-Lajes AFB, Azores to Newquay-St Mawgan RAF Station as the crow flies is 2150 km (1344 miles).
Distance from Terceira-Lajes AFB, Azores to Newquay-St Mawgan RAF Station as the crow flies is 2150 km (1344 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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