1968 — May 3, Braniff Flight 352 turbulent weather/wing failure/crash ~Dawson TX — 85

–85 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Lockheed L-188A Electra, 03 May 1968.
–85 Kimura. World Commercial Aircraft Accidents 3rd Ed., 1946-1993, V.1. 4-11-1994, p. 3-11.
–85 NTSB. AAR. Braniff…Near Dawson, Texas, May 3, 1968, June 19, 1969.

Narrative Information

ASN: “Braniff Flight 352 departed Houston (IAH) at 16:11 for a flight to Dallas (DAL) and climbed to FL200. Some 25 minutes into the flight, the L-188A Electra was approaching an area of severe thunderstorm activity. The crew requested a descent to FL150 and a deviation to the west. ARTCC then advised the crew that other aircraft were deviating to the east. The Electra crew still thought it looked all right on the west and were cleared to descend to FL140 and deviate to the west. At 16:44 the flight was further cleared to descend to 5000 feet. At 16:47 the aircraft had apparently encountered an area of bad weather, including hail, and requested (and were cleared for) a 180deg turn. Subsequent to the initiation of a right turn, the aircraft was upset. During the upset, N9707C rolled to the right to a bank angle in excess of 90deg and pitched nose down to approximately 40 degrees. A roll recovery maneuver was initiated and the aircraft experienced forces of 4.35 g. Part of the right wing failed and the aircraft broke up at an altitude of 6750 feet and crashed in flames a little later.”

“Following this accident large segments of the aviation industry started reviewing, amending, and updating safety and training programs and operational procedures regarding storm avoidance.” (Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Lockheed L-188A Electra.)

NTSB: “The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the stressing of the aircraft structure beyond its ultimate strength during an attempted recovery from an unusual attitude induced by turbulence associated with a thunderstorm. The operation in the turbulence resulted from a decision to penetrate an area of known severe weather.” (NTSB, AAR Braniff…Near Dawson, Texas, May 3, 1968, June 19, 1969)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Lockheed L-188A Electra. Accessed at:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680503-0&lang=en

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.

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Braniff Airways, Inc., Lockheed L-188, N9707C, Near Dawson, Texas, May 3, 1968. Washington, DC: NTSB, June 19, 1969, 65 pages. Accessed at: http://amelia.db.erau.edu/reports/ntsb/aar/AAR69-03.pdf