1936 — Dec 27, United Air Flight 34 crash (too low in mt. pass), Rice Canyon, ~Newhall, CA–12

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 11-17-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–12  Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM DAT Database.

–12  Notable California Aviation Disasters.  The 1930s.

–12  U.S. Bureau of Air Commerce, Accident Board. Report of the Accident Board. 5-12-1937.

Narrative Information

U.S. Bureau of Air Commerce: “On December 27, 1936, at approximately 7:38 P.M. at a point about two miles southwest of Newhall, California, an airplane of United States registry, while being flown in scheduled interstate operation carrying mail, passengers and express, met with an accident which resulted in death to all persons on board and the complete destruction of the aircraft.

“The airplane, a Boeing, Model 247-D…was owned by the United Air Lines Transport Corporation of Change, Illinois, and at the time of the accident was being operated on the Oakland Division of this Corporation as Trip No. 34, scheduled from Oakland to Los Angeles, California, with one stop, at San Francisco. The airport serving Los Angeles is Union Air Terminal, Burbank, California….

Flight 34 was dispatched out of Oakland on schedule at 5:10 P.M. A stop was made at San Francisco and the flight departed from this point on schedule, 5:30 P.M., for Los Angeles (Burbank), due to arrive at 7:30 P.M. The weather at each terminal point was satisfactory for flight, Layers of clouds existed in the area between San Francisco and Los Angeles….

“The flight over the greater part of the route was apparently uneventful, At 7:04 P.M., Pilot Blom reported to Bakersfield via radio that he was over the south edge of Buena Vista lake at 10,000 feet, descending slowly through broken clouds. At 7:06 P.M. he again talked to the Bakersfield station stating that he was now at 9,500 feet and changing to day frequency. Both messages were acknowledged by Bakersfield. At 7:09 P.M. the pilot, communicated with Burbank giving his estimated time of arrival there as 7:37 P.M. Following acknowledgement by Burbank, the pilot requested clearance into the area. This was given him by Burbank at 7:12 P.M. but receipt of this clearance was never acknowledged. Following this, ground stations called the flight at intervals and it was not until 7:29 P.M., 17 minutes later, that Pilot Blom was heard from again, at which tine he asked if Burbank could hear him and although acknowledgement of this call was given by Burbank, Fresno, Bakersfield and a pilot flying another schedule, no response came from Blom to indicate that he had received such acknowledgment. At 7:36 P.M. the co-pilot requested that the localizer (company owned low-powered radio range) at the Burbank Airport be turned on. This was done and the airplanes location requested. The co-pilots reply to this was, Just a minute. This was the last radio contact with the flight. A search was started when it became apparent that an accident had occurred and the wrecked airplane was first sighted from the air about 10:00 A.M. the following morning at the head of Rice Canyon.

“An examination of the immediate terrain gave evidence that the airplane had first struck the ground at an elevation of 2620 feet while turning to the right with the wings banked at an angle of about 28 degrees and in level or slightly descending flight. Marks on the ground indicate that after striking, the airplane traveled in a compass direction of approximately 307 degrees. It passed through several trees shearing off the wings and right hand tail surfaces, and the right landing gear. The rest of the airplane continued as a unit 300 feet further where it struck the wall of a narrow canyon and slid back to the bottom thereof. An examination of surrounding terrain indicates that the airplane had just previously passed over an adjacent ridge which was approximately 200 feet higher than the point where the accident occurred.

“A careful examination of the wreckage failed to indicate any structural failure of the aircraft. It was evident that both engines were operating at cruising speed or better at the time of the accident and that there was a considerable amount of fuel in the tanks. The landing gear was found in the down position….

“The available evidence strongly indicates that the pilot originally expected to be able to fly through the pass under the clouds by visual contact. The presence of heavy static in the clouds at times would make this desirable if practical. The latest regular weather report for the Burbank-Saugus area, from Fresno at 6:50 P.M. and from Los Angeles at 6:55 P.M. did indicate that a visual approach was possible. However, the general weather forecast for the entire area, given the pilot as a part of his clearance, indicated the possibility of the changes which did occur. The pilot displayed no particular concern about the weather….

“The evidence further suggests that after getting into the pass at an altitude lower than is permitted for an instrument approach, the pilot decided that conditions were not favorable for flying through the pass by visual contact. It was raining at the time….

”The attitude and direction in which the airplane struck the ridge indicate definitely that it was executing a turn, and make it appear that after getting into the pass and deciding against proceeding by visual contact, the pilot elected to get back out of the pass to start an instrument approach from a more favorable point, rather than to ascend directly into the clouds for an instrument approach from within the pass….

“The evidence in the case tends to show that the pilot had no concern over his safety up to the very moment he decided to turn in the pass. He was intimately acquainted with the route and with the type of aircraft he was flying. His weather forecast predicted variable weather at Burbank. The last hourly weather report, if he received it, indicated that the weather was varying favorably. No effort seems to have been made by the dispatching or weather observing personnel to closely observe and acquaint the pilot with the unfavorable weather trend which developed between the 6:41 observation and the time of the accident. Radio communications with other aircraft, part of which the pilot or his co-pilot must have heard, indicated that numerous other aircraft were moving in and out of Burbank without appreciable difficulty or delay. While, like the other pilots, he probably encountered heavy static in the clouds over the southerly 75 to 100 miles, he undoubtedly regarded this as a minor annoyance since the weather seemed satisfactory for visual approach, which would not require radio navigation, otherwise he would probably have circled about in one of the areas between the clouds where radio reception was clear, which would enable him to get exact weather information. On the other hand, variable weather conditions were forecast, particularly low clouds on the mountain ridges, and it seems to be common knowledge that weather conditions when variable can vary rapidly in the Burbank valley and over the exceedingly rough terrain north and northwest of it. It is also clearly established that at least four other flights in and out of Burbank within the hour, but which were undertaken at altitudes well above the mountains by radio or dead reckoning navigation, were completed successfully and without incident. There is no evidence whatever of emergency due to fuel shortage, mechanical difficulties or icing. It, then, seems inescapable that the underlying cause of the accident was the choice by the pilot of the visual approach.

“It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable cause of this accident was an error on the part of the pilot for attempting to fly through the Newhall pass at an altitude lower than the surrounding mountains without first determining by radio the existing weather.” (Bureau of Air Commerce, Accident Board.  Report of the Accident Board. May 12, 1937.)

Notable California Aviation Disasters: “While flying in rain and poor visibility south of Newhall, the aircraft struck a ridge in the Santa Susana Mountains, snapping off its wings.   The fuselage continued on, soaring over a ravine before striking the rock wall of a bluff below Oat Mountain and falling over 100 feet into the bottom of Rice Canyon. Searchers looking for the missing plane in the rugged terrain reached the crash site after being alerted by an area rancher who spotted the wreckage while rounding up stray cows.   All 12 persons aboard the aircraft — nine passengers and three crew members — had perished in the crash. Investigators believe the pilot may have lost his bearings and was unable to contact ground stations by radio while flying in the stormy weather.  he aircraft involved in the crash, the Boeing model B-247, was introduced in 1933 and is considered by many to be the first “modern” commercial airliner.”  (Notable California Aviation Disasters.  The 1930s.)

Sources

Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1930s.” Oct 23, 2008 update. Accessed 2-21-2009 at: http://www.jaydeebee1.com/crash30s.html

Bureau of Air Commerce, Accident Board. Report of the Accident Board. Washington, DC:  Dept. of Commerce, 5-12-1937, 5 pages. Accessed at:  http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=8&name=*P%3A%5CDOT%5Cairplane%20accidents%5Cwebsearch%5C122736.pdf

Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM DAT Database. Louvain, Belgium:  Universite Catholique do Louvain. Accessed at: http://www.emdat.be/