1953 — May 17, Delta Air Lines 318 flies into severe turbulence/crashes, ~Marshall, TX– 19

— 19 AirDisaster.com. Accident Database. “Accident Synopsis 05171953.”
— 19 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Delta Air Lines Flight 318, 17 May 1953.
— 19 CAB. AIR. Delta Air Lines, Inc. – Near Marshall, Texas, May 17, 1953.
— 19 Eckert. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” AJFM&P, 3/1, March 1982, Table 1.
— 19 NFPA. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” Handbook of Fire Protection. 1954, p, 36.

Narrative Information

Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Investigation Report:

“The Accident

“A Douglas DC-3, N 28345, owned by Delta Air Lines and operated as Flight 318 of May 17, 1953, crashed approximately 13 miles east of Marshall, Texas, about 1415 CST. Of the crew of three and seventeen passengers, only one passenger survived.

“History of the Flight

“Flight 318 departed Dallas, Texas, on a VFR Flight Plan at 1310, on time, for Atlanta, Georgia, with a scheduled stop at Shreveport, Louisiana. The crew consisted of Captain Douglas B. Volk, First Officer James P. Stewart and Stewardess JoAnne Carlson; there were 17 passengers including one infant. The aircraft’s gross weight on departure from Dallas was 24,099 pounds, which was within the allowable weight of 25,200 pounds, and the center of gravity was within the prescribed limits.

“Flight 318 proceeded normally and at 1352 reported to the company station at Longview, Texas, that it was then west of Gladewater, Texas. Longview gave the flight the latest Shreveport weather which was dark scattered clouds at 1,000 feet, ceiling estimated 4,000 feet broken louds, overcast at 20,000 feet, visibility 10 miles, thunderstorms, light rain showers, wind south 10. Remarks were thunderstorms south, occasional lightning cloud to cloud south. The flight was also advised by the company’s Longview operator that he had been watching thunderstorms east and southeast of the Longview field and suggested that the flight stay well to the north. Flight 318 answered ‘OK.’….

“At 1416 the Shreveport Control Tower asked Flight 318 to give a position report. No reply was received, and a number of unsuccessful attempts were then made to contact the flight. At 1428 the tower was advised that an aircraft had crashed near Marshall, Texas.

“The Investigation

“The wreckage was located approximately 13 miles east-southeast of Marshall, Texas, one-half mile south of Highway 80 in a heavily wooded area. Broken tree limbs, markings on the ground, and distribution of the wreckage indicated that the aircraft first struck the trees while in a shallow angle of descent, under power, in approximately wing-level attitude and on a 50-degree heading. It continued ahead, cutting a swath through trees for a distance of approximately 500 feet, struck the ground, skidded, and came to rest in a mess of wreckage 870 feet from the point of initial contact with the trees. The aircraft partially burned following impact. There was no evidence found at the scene of the accident to indicate fire in flight or collision with any object, other than the trees, prior to impact, and no evidence of hail damage.

“Both engines and propellers were examined. Indications are that both engines were delivering power at the time of impact, and that both propellers were in low pitch range….

“During the flight of 318 VFR [visual flight rules] conditions with good visibility prevailed from Dallas to Marshall. East of Marshall occasional thunderstorms existed and it appears that ceiling in some of the heavier storms was near the surface with tops probably at 30,000 to 35,000 feet. One of these storms was on curse between Marshall and Shreveport. Information from witnesses both on the ground and in the air indicate that the thunderstorm was plainly visible from the west side but did not look nearly as severe as it did from the east and northeast sides. Witnesses also indicate that the storm was local in extend and could have been flown around; in fact another flight did go around it. Delta’s Flight 318 was seen by several witnesses to fly into the storm.

“Investigation disclose that the thunderstorm was first noted south of Marshall, moving northeastward. During that time it was picked up as an intense echo on the radar scope at Barksdale Field. A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance flight was then dispatched to reconnoiter the storm to determine its probable severity. An Air Force pilot and his copilot therefore departed from Shreveport in a C-47 (DC-3) at 1340, about 35 minutes before the accident.

“They proceeded westward in the direction of Marshall, Texas, toward the thunderstorm, and observed weather conditions over the Shreveport area to be 3,000 to 5,000 feet, scattered to broken clouds; visibility unlimited. However, as the C-47 approached the storm area, the ceiling began to slope steeply downward in the proximity of the storm. The estimated height of the base of the storm cloud varied from approximately 1,000 feet at the outer edges to zero feet near the center. Heavy rain and severe cloud-to-ground lightning were observed in the thunderstorm. The Air Force pilot then skirted the storm to the north and west, and while flying at an altitude of approximately 2,500 feet MSL on a southwesterly heading, he observed a Delta DC-3 approximately one-half mile south, and at about the same altitude, headed on a straight easterly course toward the storm. In fact, he watched the Delta aircraft, in what appeared to be normal cruising attitude, enter the storm and disappear at about 1415. At no time did the flight request an Instrument Flight Rules clearance.

“The Air Force pilot testified that at all times he flew visually and that he was able to stay clear of the thunderstorm. Once when he approached quite close, while on the east side, moderate turbulence was encountered. He turned away stating that the storm looked too severe to probe with safety. At one time while skirting the storm he noted a ‘snout’ form under the cloud, disappear, then form again, suggestive of a tornadic development, extending from the cloud base but not reaching the ground. He also stated that on the east side the storm was as black and threatening as any he had ever seen, but on the west side, the side that the sun was shining on, it looked much less threatening although heavy cumulus and rain could be seen. Other witnesses on the ground near Marshall testified that the storm was quite severe. Some stated that they observed the Delta aircraft proceeding in an easterly direction toward the storm in straight and level flight. Others testified as to the intensity of the storm. They stated that there was very heavy rain with hail for a very short period of time, and that the wind seemed to be quite strong….

“The one surviving passenger, who was on her initial flight, stated that the flight seemed normal and that she was asleep most of the trip. She had her seat belt fastened with the aircraft entered the storm area, and her last impression was that the left wing of the airplane was down; she remembers nothing further until after being rescued….

“The company’s operations manual, with which the captain should have been familiar, sets forth:

5032.3 Completion of schedules takes third place and is considered of major importance after safety and passenger comfort.

5032.4 It is the policy of Delta Air Lines to circumnavigate thunderstorms insofar as practicable.

5032.5 It is the policy of Delta Air Lines o avoid flight through turbulent air by variation of altitude, or course, or both. If impracticable to avoid such flight, the effect of turbulence shall be lessened by reduction of speed.

“The thunderstorm in which the crash occurred was very active at the time the flight went into it, elliptical in shape, and about ten to twelve miles in extent. Heavy to severe turbulence was indicated to have existed, including vortices which apparently did not become mature tornadoes. This was not known by the captain of the Delta flight and he may have believed that the storm did not look too severe. Although he may have further believed that the Air Force plane had come through it, he should have known that the storm was local and could be by-passed (it was visible to him), and that pilots had already encountered heavy thunderstorms with heavy turbulence and damaging hail in the general area. He was getting into a thunderstorm area winch farther to the east had been forecast to possibly develop tornadoes, and it had been suggested to him by ground personnel to by-pass the storm to the north. In new of these known facts there appears to be no logical reason why Captain Volk did not alter his course to avoid the storm, inasmuch as company instructions required him to by-pass thunderstorms when practicable.

“Analysis

“….The thunderstorm was entered with no known change of altitude (from 2,500), and with no apparent attempt to change course. About 1412, with Shreveport only 21 miles ahead, and reporting good ceiling and visibility, the captain evidently elected not to by-pass the storm and to remain VFR which he could have done, but flew directly into it, and in so doing acted country to Civil Air Regulations, as well as to company directives. The crash occurred about six miles beyond his point of entering the storm and only some two miles from its eastern, or far, edge.

“The thunderstorm in which the crash occurred was very active at the time the flight went into it, elliptical in shape, and about ten to twelve miles in extent. Heavy to severe turbulence was indicated to have exited, including vortices which apparently did not become mature tornadoes. This was not known by the captain of the Delta flight and he may have believed that the storm did not look too severe. Although he may have further believed that the Air Force plane had come through it, he should have known that the storm was local and could be by-passed (it was visible to him), and that pilots had already encountered heavy thunderstorms with heavy turbulence and damaging hail in the general area. He was getting into a thunderstorm area which farther to the east had been forecast to possibly develop tornadoes, and it had been suggest to him by ground personnel to by-pass the storm to the north. In view of these known facts there appears to be no logical reason why Captain Volk did not alter his course to avoid the storm, inasmuch as company instructions required him to by-pass thunderstorms when practicable.

“The exact nature of the conditions within the storm cannot be determined. However, it is known that the storm appeared to be a very severe one, with zero ceiling conditions and extremely heavy rain accompanied by hail, with strong, gusty surface winds and sharp cloud-to-ground lightning. These factors are indicative of other conditions such as extreme turbulence accompanied by violent updrafts and downdrafts. It is known that turbulence, if sufficiently severe, is capable of rendering an aircraft uncontrollable. Instruments have been known to vibrate and fluctuate, even in a shock-mounted panel, so violently that they become unreadable. Although investigation disclosed no evidence of lightning strike, there may be the possibility that lightning flashes temporarily blinded the crew members, since cloud-to-ground lightning of strong intensity was seen by air and ground witnesses….

The Board is well aware that the forecasting of thunderstorm severity and behavior is far from being an exact science, and that scheduled flights must frequently traverse undeterminable conditions. But it has long been held to be good practice to skirt thunderstorms when possible, either laterally or vertically, or both. This is paramount when tornadoes are possible and the Severe Weather Bulletin, previously mentioned, did forecast possible tornadoes not too distant. Delta’s operations manual pointedly prescribed avoiding thunderstorms; this could readily have been done in this case….

“Probable Cause

“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was (1) the encountering of conditions in a severe thunderstorm that resulted in loss of effective control of the aircraft, and (2) the failure of the captain to adhere to company directives requiring the avoidance of thunderstorms when conditions would allow such action.”

(Civil Aeronautics Board. AIR. Delta Air Lines, Inc. – Near Marshall, Texas, May 17, 1953.)

Sources

AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 05171953. Accessed at: http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=05171953&reg=N28345&airline=Delta+Air+Lines

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Accident Description. Delta Air Lines Flight 318, 17 May 1953. Accessed 2-19-2009 at:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19530517-0

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Delta Air Lines, Inc. – Near Marshall, Texas, May 17, 1953 (File No. 1-0030). Washington, DC: CAB, released 12-31-1953. Accessed 5-16-2023 at: file:///C:/Users/Wayne/Downloads/dot_33467_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. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” Handbook of Fire Protection (11th Ed.). Boston, MA: NFPA, 1954, pp. 33-36.