Draft:Delta Air Lines Flight 1903

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Delta Air Lines Flight 1903
N8804E, the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
DateMay 23, 1960 (1960-05-23)
SummaryStall after takeoff due to undetermined reasons
Site
Aircraft
Aircraft typeConvair CV-880-22-1
OperatorDelta Air Lines
IATA flight No.DL1903
ICAO flight No.DAL1903
Call signDELTA 1903
RegistrationN8804E
Flight originAtlanta Municipal Airport, Atlanta, Georgia
DestinationAtlanta Municipal Airport, Atlanta, Georgia
Occupants4
Passengers0
Crew4
Fatalities4
Survivors0

Delta Airlines Flight 1903 was a scheduled training flight involving a Convair CV-880 from Atlanta Municipal Airport (now known as Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport) in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] On May 23, 1960, the aircraft operating the flight entered a stall shortly after takeoff and crashed into the ground, killing all 4 crew members.[1] The investigation concluded that the crash was caused by a stall of undetermined origin.[1]

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft involved was a Convair CV-880-22-1, registration N8804E (serial no. 220016), manufactured earlier that year.[2] The crew consisted of a captain, a flight engineer, and two trainee pilots.[1] Captain James H. Longino, aged 42, was hired by Delta in 1945 and had accumulated a total of 13,197 flight hours, of which 227 were in the Convair CV880.[1] Flight engineer Bryan E. Bolt, aged 31, was hired by Delta in 1956 and had accumulated a total of 5,810 flight hours, of which 210 were in the CV880.[1] Trainee captain Henry L. Laube, aged 45, was employed by Delta in 1942 and had accumulated a total of 17,221 flight hours, of which only 10 were on the CV880.[1] Second trainee captain William F. Williams, aged 50, was employed by Delta in 1941 and had accumulated a total of 17,196 flight hours, of which 12 were in the CV880.[1] On the accident flight, captain Longino was acting also as an instructor, training captain Laube with captain Williams observing from the jumpseat.[1]

Accident

The flight was intended as a "check ride" type flight in order to give trainee pilot Laube more experience on the CV880.[1] The aircraft took off from runway 27 at approximately 11:51 local time.[1] Shortly after takeoff, the plane pitched up to an angle of nearly 45 degrees as stated by witnesses who had watched the takeoff.[1] The left wing then dropped, reaching a downward angle of nearly 20 degrees with the nose still pitched skyward.[1] The aircraft then rolled from a left bank to a right bank.[1] The nose then pitched down to the ground, with the aircraft's right wing scraping the ground shortly after.[1] The plane impacted the ground, exploding into flames.[1] All 4 occupants onboard were killed.[1]

Investigation

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) opened an investigation into the accident (later in 1966, the Department of Transportation Act would be enacted, leading to the creation of the current investigation group going by the name National Transportation Safety Board or NTSB).[1] Analysis of the wreckage indicated that there was no mechanical failure of any control surfaces or structural failure of the airframe prior to impact.[1] As well, analysis of the engines indicated that they were operating at the time of impact, ruling out engine failure as the cause of the sudden descent.[1] Regarding the bank to the right from the left bank, it was found that a lateral yaw to the right occurred as the nose was pitched dangerously high.[1] The Convair CV-880 features a "swept-wing" design, where the wings angle backward to improve fuel efficiency and aerodynamics. Due to this design, the yaw movement at an extreme angle of attack caused the plane to roll to the right and drop.[1] During flight training on the Convair CV-880, flight crews were trained in various scenarios, including a simulated failure of an outboard engine at rotation speed.[1] It was found through the training exams that a left or right oscillation (bank) did occur after a yaw movement of the aircraft to the left or right, which was what flight 1903 encountered after liftoff.[1] However, unlike the accident flight, the training examination flights did not pitch up steeply and recovery from the bank was easily corrected by pitching the nose down to gain speed and therefore lift.[1] Why the crew failed to do this remains unknown. Investigators also proposed that the dramatic roll to the left or right after takeoff was due to pilots, especially trainee pilots, "overcontrolling" the plane's systems such as the ailerons and rudder due to being inexperienced and not understanding the extreme sensitivity of the aircraft's rudder in flight.[1] However, no evidence was found in the training flights to support this theory.[1] Investigators also analyzed the possibility of the captain suffering a medical emergency, resulting in no control of the aircraft and causing the plane to enter a stall.[1] Autopsy results showed that the captain had advanced atherosclerosis, but concluded that the captain did not suffer a heart attack or other medical event in flight, which could have caused the stall.[1] Analysis of the aircrafts performance showed that engines 3 and 4 on the right side of the aircraft were operating at reduced power, with engine 4 at flight idle at liftoff.[1] The reduced thrust on this side of the aircraft could have caused the plane to stall, due to not achieving enough power or speed for liftoff and could account for the right bank.[1] However, despite reduced thrust, there was nothing inside either engine regarding the components, etc. that would have prevented them from creating full thrust.[1]

Despite looking at all possible explanations to the crash, the CAB was therefore unable to determine the definitive cause of the stall with the final report stating the cause of the accident to be the aircraft entering a stall due to undetermined reasons at an altitude where successful recovery was not possible.[1]

References