1964 — Nov 15, Bonanza Air 114 approach crash (faulty chart) near Las Vegas, NV — 29
— 29 AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis (N745L) 11151964.
— 29 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description, Bonanza Air Flight 114, Nov 15, 1964
— 29 Bates. “Hunt for Lost F-27.” Las Vegas Review-Journal, November 15, 1999.
— 29 Bonanza Airlines Historical website. “Accident of BAL Flight 114, N745L.”
— 29 Kimura. World Commercial Aircraft Accidents 3rd Ed., 1946-1993, V.1. 4-11-1994, p. 3-7.
— 29 NTSB. Scheduled Operation of Bonanza Air Lines Inc., Nov 15, 1964.
— 29 Planecrashinfo.com. Accident Details, November 15, 1964, Bonanza Airlines, Las Vegas.
Narrative Information
Bonanza Airlines: “On evening of November 15, 1964, while inboard from Phoenix, Arizona. Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114 struck a mountain southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada while attempting to land at McCarran International Airport killing all 26 passengers and a crew of three.” (Bonanza Airlines Historical website. “Accident of BAL Flight 114, N745L.”)
Bates: “On Nov. 15, 1964, Bonanza Airlines Flight 114 took off from Phoenix to Las Vegas on a nighttime commercial flight. Bonanza was a historic carrier, locally based and providing the first all jet-powered airline in the country.
“That evening, an unusual snowstorm hit the Las Vegas Valley, reducing visibility to nearly zero. Local police reported 34 weather-related accidents on the roadways. But…the dreadful visibility wasn’t the cause of the crash. “Initially it was blamed on pilot error,”…But 14 years later investigators determined it was the pilot’s erroneously marked Jesperson approach chart, which is used along with instrument panels to determine descent, that led pilot Henry Fitzpatrick, a veteran with 11,000 flying hours, to hit ground….
“Bonanza Flight 114 crashed just a few miles east of the Mount Potosi site where a plane carrying actress Carole Lombard went down in 1942. It is also near the scene of Las Vegas’ worst air disaster, a 1958 midair collision between a United Airlines DC-7 and a Nellis fighter jet. That accident killed 40.
“Though the Bonanza crash occurred about 8:30 p.m., the weather and the steep terrain prevented rescuers from reaching the plane until the next morning. There, they were greeted by a grisly site: Most of the victims had been decapitated….” (Bates. “Hunt for Lost F-27,” 1999.)
Civil Aeronautics Board Synopsis: “A Bonanza Air Lines, Inc., Fairchild F-27A, N745L, operating as Flight 114 from Phoenix Arizona, to Las Vegas, Nevada, crashed 9.7 miles from the Las Vegas VORTAC November 15, 1964, at approximately 2025 P.s.t. Twenty-six passengers and three crew-members perished in the crash.
“Flight 114 struck high terrain while attempting an instrument approach to McCarran Field, Las Vegas, Nevada. The accident occurred at night during a snowstorm. The aircraft was destroyed by impact. There was no major fire.
“Probable cause: “The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the misinterpretation of the approach chart by the captain which resulted in a premature descent below obstructing terrain.” (Civil Aeronautics Board)
Planecrashinfo.com: “The aircraft crashed into rising terrain 9.7 miles south southwest of McCarran Field in a snowstorm during an approach to the airport. Captain’s misinterpretation of approach charts leading to premature descent below obstructing terrain. After years of legal court battles, a U.S. District Court Judge concluded that the landing charts provided by Jeppesen were the main cause of the accident.” (Planecrashinfo.com. November 15, 1964, Bonanza Airlines, Las Vegas.)
Sources
AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 11151964. Accessed at: http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=11151964®=N745L&airline=Bonanza+Airlines
Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Bonanza Air Lines Flight 114, 15 Nov 1964. Accessed 12-23-2008 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19641115-0
Bates, Warren. “Hunt for Lost F-27.” Las Vegas Review-Journal, November 15, 1999. At: http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1999/Nov-15-Mon-1999/news/12342681.html
Bonanza Airlines Historical website. “Accident of BAL Flight 114, N745L.” Accessed at: http://www.bonanzaairlines.com/N745L.html
Civil Aeronautics Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Bonanza Air Lines, Inc. Fairchild, F-27A, N745L, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 15, 1964. Washington, DC: CAB, 11-19-1965. Accessed 4-10-2020 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=3eErAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=bonanza&f=false
Kimura, Chris Y. World Commercial Aircraft Accidents 3rd Edition, 1946-1993, Volume 1: Jet and Turboprop Aircrafts. Livermore, CA: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Risk Assessment and Nuclear Engineering Group. 4-11-1994.
Planecrashinfo.com. “1964…Accident Details…Bonanza Airlines, Las Vegas, Nevada, November 15, 1964.” Accessed at: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1964/1964-57.htm