Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 10, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–35 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Standard Airlines, 12 Jul 1949.

–35 Baugher. 1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). 11-7-2011 rev.

–35 CAB. AIR. Standard Airlines, Inc., Chatsworth, CA, July 12, 1949.

–35 Eckert. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” AJFM&P, 3/1, Mar 1982, p.53.

–35 National Fire Protection Assoc. “Large Loss Fires of 1949.” Quarterly, 43/3, Jan 1950, 166.

–35 Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.”

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Curtiss C-46E-1-CS Commando….47410 (c/n 2936/CK458) to War Assets Administration Feb 9, 1947. Sold to Trans National Airlines (Standard Airlines) Apr 5, 1948 as NC79978. Crashed into mountains 50 km W of Los Angeles, CA near Chatsworth, CA Jul 12, 1949. Pilot had descended below the prescribed minimum altitude while executing an instrument approach to the Burbank Airport. 35 of 48 onboard killed. Standard Airlines was ordered to cease non-scheduled operation because of regulation violations.” (Baugher. 1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). 11-7-2011 rev.)

Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Investigation Report:

“The Accident

“Standard Airlines Flight 897R of July 11, 1949, a Curtiss C-46-E, N-79978 crashed and burned near Chatsworth, California, at approximately 0743, July 12, 1949. Of the 48 occupants, 35, including both pilot and copilot were killed, and 13 received serious injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.

“History of the Flight

“Flight 897R originated at New York, New York, for Long Beach, California, with stops at Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Kansas, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Burbank, California. A crew change was made at Kansas City. Departure from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was at 0424, with 44 passengers, including two infants….

“The first radio contact with the Burbank Tower was at 0735, at which time the flight reported its position as west of Riverside….The tower advised the flight that another aircraft, a Cessna, was then over Chatsworth inbound and that no delay was anticipated. At 0736 the Cessna reported that it was contact and was cleared to land. Immediately N 978 was contacted ‘cleared to make straight-in approach to the aerodrome, Runway 7, Burbank altimeter three zero zero two, time check three six.’ The pilot acknowledged and advised that his position was ‘approaching Burbank Range,’ but did not give his altitude. This was the last radio contact with the flight. No position report was made as actually over Burbank Range. At 0745, a California Central Airlines’ DC-3, Flight 81, reported over the Burbank Range, and was directed to hold northwest of Simi…pending the landing of N978. When N978 failed to arrive, several calls were initiated to it by the tower but no response was heard. California Central’s flight was then requested to search for the aircraft and sighted the burning wreckage about three miles west of the town of Chatsworth, California, in the Santa Susana Mountains at 0800. At that time, 17 minutes after the accident, the weather at the crash site was clear with a former cloud layer rapidly dissipating.

“Investigation

“The aircraft struck the side of a mountain 2,320 feet high at a point 430 feet lower than its crest, or at an altitude of 1,890 feet….This contact was a brushing movement only, as evidenced by the clipped greasewood bushes close to the ground and the absence of any aircraft parts or pieces. Sixty feet from this first contact, the right propeller struck an eight-foot boulder. Portions of the right wind leading edge were under this boulder which was displaced downhill a few feet…Beyond the boulder…there was an elliptical area extending for 150 feet, showing terrific ground impact. Here were the right propeller blades, right engine cowl flaps, right aileron, right flap, right wing tip, and gas tanks from the right wing. At the far end of this impact area and adjacent to a very large boulder were a 35-foot section of the top of the right wing and the third right wing gas tank. Ground marks indicate a skipping and upward clockwise movement of the aircraft in this area….

“One altimeter was recovered. It …read 1940 feet….

“Testimony of pilots of other aircraft in the vicinity at the time shows that the height of the top of the cloud layer, in the vicinity of the crash site, was about 2,400 feet MSL as compared to that of 2,200 feet given to the pilot at 0720. This was just enough to cover the top of the 2,320-foot mountain that the aircraft struck. This stratus cloud layer lay quite evenly over the entire Los Angeles area…Such type of cloud layer exists frequently in this region. The cloud layer was dissipating rapidly and only a few minutes after the crash it started to break up and shortly disappeared. Evidence from surviving occupants also shows that the aircraft crashed within two or three minutes after starting descent into the overcast….

“Analysis

“It is evident from a study of the several factors involved that this accident was caused solely by the pilot voluntarily going below the prescribed minimum altitude, and descending into the overcast, either before or during the procedure turn preparatory to a straight-in approach. That he did this is evident from the fact that the crash occurred in the proper location for the execution of a procedure turn except that it was low by about 1,000 feet, presuming the altitude of the top of the cloud layer to have been at 2,400 feet MSL. There is excellent evidence that the top of the cloud layer was at about 2,400 feet MSL.

“One possible reason for the captain going below his prescribed altitude is based on the fact that the cloud layer through which he descended was dissipating rapidly. This meteorological phenomenon is quite common in the area but such cloud layers melt away with great speed from the influence of the morning sun. As the captain had made a considerable number of instrument approaches during similar weather conditions, it is possible that he anticipated a slightly faster dissipation of this cloud layer and went into it believing that it would not last. On the other hand, there is the possibility that he descended through a hole in the cloud layer and that once in that hole he was unable to maintain visual reference, and reverting to instrument flight at too low a level, struck the hillside. In this connection there is a large lake quite close to where the crash occurred, which, had he sighted it, may have given him a false idea as to whether or not he could continue visually….

“…the Board concludes that this accident resulted from a deviation from the prescribed and established instrument approach procedure.”

“Findings

“….5. The flight descended below the prescribed minimum altitude just before starting, or during, a procedure turn preparatory to letting down to Burbank Airport.

“6. The aircraft struck terrain during the procedure turn while it was approximately 1,000 feet lower than it should have been under the prevailing weather conditions….

“8. The crash resulted in destruction of the aircraft and the death of 35 of its 48 occupants.

“Probable Cause

“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s action in descending below the prescribed minimum altitude while executing an instrument approach to the Burbank Airport.” (Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Investigation Report. Standard Airlines, Inc., Chatsworth, CA, July 12, 1949.)

Notable California Aviation Disasters:

“Date / Time: Tuesday, July 12, 1949 / 7:43 a.m.

Operator / Flight No.: Standard Airlines / Flight 897R

Location: Near Chatsworth, Calif.

“Details and Probable Cause: Inbound to Burbank’s Lockheed Air Terminal from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and carrying 48 persons, the twin-engine Curtiss C-46E-1-C airliner (N79978) began its ill-fated journey the day before at La Guardia Airport in New York, with stops at Chicago, Illinois; Kansas City, Missouri; and Albuquerque.

“The aircraft was in level flight on its initial approach to Burbank, with its landing gear extended, when it descended below the officially prescribed altitude of 5,000 feet while flying in patchy fog. As a result, the plane’s right wingtip struck a mountain ridge near Box Canyon in the northwest corner of the San Fernando Valley, near Santa Susana Pass and the Los Angeles County-Ventura County border.

“The Curtiss Commando spun 90 degrees, struck the ground, bounced back into the air and then crashed on a rugged hillside of the Simi Hills at an altitude of about 1,890 feet just north of the Chatsworth Reservoir. Both pilots, a flight attendant, and 32 passengers died in the crash, including two young children. The remaining flight attendant and 12 passengers escaped with moderate to serious injuries.

“Among the survivors was stage and screen actress Caren Marsh, who was Judy Garland’s stand-in on “The Wizard of Oz” and had roles in such films as “Secrets Of A Sorority Girl,” “The Navajo Kid,” “Night And Day,” “Wild Harvest” and “The Adventures Of Don Juan.”

“Rescuers who reached the site were startled to find the crash victims already being aided by several long-haired strangers dressed in robes and sandals — members of a mysterious religious group that lived on a secluded compound in Box Canyon, not too far from the scene of the disaster. It was Krishna Venta (true name Francis Pencovic) and several followers, whose “Fountain of the World” cult of 50 or so members preached universal love, world peace, and the pursuit of knowledge.

“Meanwhile, as authorities probed the wreckage and began piecing together the cause of the crash, survivors confirmed the captain’s radioed message at 7:22 a.m., received by ground controllers at Burbank while the plane was over Riverside, that a physical altercation had occurred between two male passengers 20 minutes earlier.

“In the incident, in which a punch was thrown, a stewardess separated the two men and then informed the captain, who came aft and spoke briefly to both parties. However, investigators subsequently determined that the fight was unrelated to the crash.

“The accident was attributed to pilot error, in that the decision was made to descend below the prescribed minimum altitude while executing an ILS (instrument landing system) approach to the airport at Burbank.

“At the time of the Chatsworth tragedy, Long Beach-based Standard Airlines (not related to the 1920s-era Standard Airlines, which merged with Western Air Express in 1930) was one of a handful of “non-scheduled” airlines offering travelers discounted cross-country flights. It recently had been ordered by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to cease operations by July 20 for regulation violations.

“The fatal crash near Chatsworth — occurring just a week before that deadline — triggered an intense scrutiny of all charter and non-scheduled airlines operating in the United States.

“Fatalities: 35 — 32 of 44 passengers; 3 of 4 crew members.” (Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.”)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Standard Airlines, 12 Jul 1949. Accessed at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19490712-0

Baugher, Joseph F. 1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). Nov 7, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-18-2011 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Standard Airlines, Inc., Chatsworth, California, July 12, 1949 (File No. 1-0052). Washington, DC: CAB, February 27, 1950. Accessed 9-10-2023 at: dot_33370_DS1.pdf

Eckert, William G. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, Vol. 3, No. 1, March 1982, Table 1.

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1949.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 43, No. 3, January 1950, pp. 151-170.

Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.” Sep 25, 2009 update. Accessed 10-17-2009 at: http://www.jaydeebee1.com/crash40s.html

Text content

1949 — July 12, Standard Airlines 897 hits cloud-shrouded mt. on approach to Burbank AP, CA-35