1971 — May 6, Apache Airlines, Carstedt jetliner wing failure, crash, Coolidge, AZ –all 12

–12 Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Arizona, USA. Reg. N4922V.
–12 Eckert. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” AJFMP, 3/1, Mar 1982, Table 1.
–12 Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979, p. 6.
–12 NTSB. AAR. Apache Airlines…Coolidge, Arizona, May 6, 1971 (NTSB-AAR-72-19).

Narrative Information

National Transportation Safety Board Abstract: “Apache Airlines, Inc., DeHavilland Model 104-7AXC, N4922V, crashed near Coolidge, Arizona, on May 6, 1971, at approximately 1315 m.s.t., while en route from Tucson to Phoenix, Arizona.

“The aircraft was observed to enter a shallow dive which steepened as the aircraft approached the ground.

“The right wing separated from the fuselage just prior to ground impact. The aircraft disintegrated upon impact and all 10 passengers and the two crewmembers were fatally injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the inflight failure and subsequent separation of the right wing. This failure was the result of a fatigue fracture in the lower main root joint fitting which propagated from an area of corrosion and fretting damage which, in turn, was probably caused by design deficiencies. These deficiencies remained undetected because surveillance of the supplemental type certification process and the modification programs was not adequate to assure compliance with design and inspection requirements.” (NTSB. Apache Airlines AAR, p. ii.) ….

“At about 1315, ground witnesses near Coolidge, Arizona, observed the aircraft flying in a northwesterly direction. Some of these witnesses reported that they first heard loud engine noises emanating from the aircraft, and that the engine sound then ceased. According to two of the witnesses, the aircraft initially descended at a “slight angle” which steepened to a 45-to-50 degree dive angle. None of the witnesses saw smoke or fire while the aircraft was in the air, and none saw parts separate from the aircraft. According to the witnesses, there were high scattered cumulus clouds in the area. A pilot, who flew a light aircraft through that general area after the accident, reported that he encountered severe turbulence at about 4,200 feet in the Phoenix area.” (NTSB. Apache Airlines AAR, p. 1.)

Sources

Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Arizona, USA. Accessed 3-3-2009 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/Arizona.htm

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.

Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979.

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Apache Airlines, Inc. DeHavilland DH-104-7AXC. N4922V, Coolidge, Arizona, May 6, 1971 (SA-425: File No. 3-0038; NTSB-AAR-72-19). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted June 1, 1972, 15 pages. Accessed at: http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR72-19.pdf