1953 — Sep 28, Resort Airlines Flight 1081 airport landing crash near Louisville, KY– 25

— 25 AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 09281953.
— 25 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Resort Airlines Flight 1081, 28 Sep 1953.
— 25 Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). 11-6-2011 rev.
— 25 CAB. AIR. Resort Airlines, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky, September 28, 1953.
— 25 Eckert. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” AJFMP, 3/1, March 1982, Table 1.

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando….78561 (MSN 22384) to N66534 Resort Airlines. Crashed Sep 28, 1953 near Louisville-Standiford, KY. Plane was approaching Louisville Airport when it ballooned slightly during the flare out. Power was applied and the aircraft entered a steep climb. The angle of attack continued to increase until the aircraft stalled at an altitude of about 300ft. The plane struck the ground with the nose and left wing, bursting into flames. 25 out of 41 on board killed. Elevator may have suffered a structural failure.” (Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). 11-6-2011 rev.)

Civil Aeronautics Board: “At 1618, September 28, 1953, a Resort Airlines C-46F, N 66534, operating as CAM No. 1081 crashed during landing at its destination, Standiford Airport, Louisville, Kentucky. There were 25 fatalities, including the crew of three, and 16 passengers received serious injuries. The aircraft was destroyed.

“The flight was operating between North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Louisville. It departed North Philadelphia Airport at 1303…The trip between North Philadelphia and Louisville was normal and in good weather. In the vicinity of Standiford Airport, the pilot requested landing instructions and was cleared for landing on Runway 24 by the tower. The clearance was acknowledged by the pilot.

“One of the three controllers on duty observed that the approach appeared normal until the flare-out when the aircraft ‘ballooned’ slightly, power was applied, and about 500 feet farther on entered a steep climb. The aircraft then yawed to the left and climbed with a steadily increasing angle of attack. At this point he noticed that a portion of the left elevator was hanging down and immediately advised the aircraft but received no acknowledgement of his warning. The aircraft continued in a steep climbing left turn until it reached an altitude of about 300 feet, stalled, fell off to the left, and struck the ground on the nose and left wing.

“The fuselage burst open upon impact. A number of the occupants were thrown free and emergency equipment immediately took survivors to nearby hospitals. Due to the severity of impact and the extent of damage, there was no organized evacuation by the occupants….

“Examination of the left elevator and its hinge fittings, details of which will follow, indicated that the No. 1 hinge bolt worked free from the hinge fitting and thus resulted in the outboard third of the elevator being unsupported. This section then bent downward during flight at No. 2 hinge station; therefore, the hanging portion of the elevator observed by witnesses was this outer third of the left elevator….

“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was structural failure of the left elevator in flight, causing loss of control. This structural failure was brought about by the left outboard hinge bolt backing out of the assembly. The underlying cause was improper maintenance which resulted in the installation of hinge bolts and bearings not meeting specifications, and inadequate inspection which failed to detect this condition.” (CAB. AIR. Resort Airlines, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky, September 28, 1953.)

Sources

AirDisaster.com. Accident Database. “Accident Synopsis 09281953.” Accessed at: http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=09281953&reg=N66534&airline=Resort+Airlines

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Resort Airlines Flight 1081, 28 Sep 1953. Accessed 2-19-2009 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19530928-0

Baugher, Joseph F. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). Nov 6, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-29-2011 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_5.html

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Resort Airlines, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky, September 28, 1953. Washington, DC: CAB, August 18, 1954, 9 pages. Accessed at: http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=8&name=*P%3A%5CDOT%5Cairplane%20accidents%5Cwebsearch%5C092853.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.