Monongahela Riv. ~Pittsburgh, PA-10

lornajarrettblanchard December 22, 1954

— 10 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Johnson Flying Service, 22 Dec 1954.
— 10 CAB. AIR. Johnson Flying Service, Inc. – Near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dec 22, 1954.
— 10 New Castle News (PA). “Servicemen Are Crash Victims at Dravosburg,” Dec 23, 1954.

Narrative Information

U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board: “At approximately 2300, December 22, 1954, a Douglas DC-3C, N 24320, owned and operated by the Johnson Flying Service, Inc., Missoula, Montana, was ditched in the Monongahela River because of fuel exhaustion while making an approach to the Allegheny County Airport, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ten of the 28 persons on board, including one crew member, were drowned….

“Johnson Flying Service’s Plight 4844-C, December 22, 1954, was a CAM (civil air movement of military personnel) flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Tacoma, Washington, with planned intermediate stops among which were Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Monterey, California; and Tacoma, Washington….

“Ditching was one and one-half miles south of the McKeesport, Pennsylvania, bridge and approximately two miles southeast of the Allegheny County Airport. The aircraft came to rest about 35 feet from the west bank of the river…. According to witnesses it floated for a short time and was completely submerged in approximately 15 minutes. Prior to sinking, the current of the river turned the aircraft to the left and slowly moved it approximately 450 feet downstream to a position about 75 feet from the west shore.

“Following ditching all passengers were evacuated through two emergency exits, one over each wing. None of the passengers or crew received injuries during the ditching. The last person to leave the cabin was Captain Walker, who estimated that it took approximately seven minutes to get everyone out of the cabin and on the wings or fuselage. Some of the passengers could not swim and the icy waters made it difficult for even good swimmers to reach the shore….

“It is apparent that this accident was operational in nature. Many things must be considered in properly planning and completing a flight. The general conduct of this flight clearly indicates poor judgment, carelessness, and lack of supervision and training. The fact that a Flight Plan and Log was not prepared prior to departing Newark and that the copilot did not know the route to be flown was the result of poor crew coordination and flight planning….

“One of the cardinal rules of safety which is set forth in the operations manual is, ‘Pilots are not to pass up a refueling facility unless they have sufficient fuel and oil to reach the point cleared within reserve limits established.’ On the subject flight Captain Poe was advised when the aircraft was near Philipsburg, an available refueling point, that to continue the flight would necessitate the use of reserve fuel. Again the crew demonstrated a decided disregard for the principles of safety by passing an acceptable DC-3 refueling airport.

“The captain’s judgment may have been influenced by his desire to accept the entire assigned payload in an effort to save money for his company. This limited the amount of fuel which could be carried and made necessary frequent and costly en route refueling stops. Because of this he may have elected to use a part of his reserve fuel to extend each leg of the flight. It is incredible that an air carrier aircraft flown by accredited personnel could be forced down for lack of fuel on a short night flight in good weather when we think of the great progress aviation has made to date, particularly with respect to pilot training, aircraft instrumentation, navigational aids, and airport lighting.

Findings:

“…. The company did not properly check the competency of the crew in accordance with their operations manual prior to flight assignment.

“The aircraft was overloaded at time of takeoff.

“The flight was improperly planned, and was not conducted in accordance with the company’s operations manual.

“The captain, contrary to the company’s operations manual, passed a suitable refueling facility after being advised that if the flight continued to its destination it would be necessary to use reserve fuel….

“The aircraft was ditched in the Monongahela River, two miles from its destination because of fuel exhaustion.

“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was fuel exhaustion brought about by inadequate flight planning. Contributing factors were inadequate crew supervision and training.” (CAB. Johnson Flying Service, Inc. – Near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dec 22, 1954.)

Newspaper

Dec 23, United Press: “Dravosburg, Pa. (UP) — Federal investigators tried to determine today why a chartered airliner, carrying 23 servicemen home for Christmas, apparently ran out of gas after flying only 300 miles and crashed into the Monongahela River here with a loss of 10 lives…. Fourteen GI’s and four members of the civilian crew swam to shore or were pulled from the frigid waters after the plane ran out of gasoline late Wednesday night and crashed into the river about 12 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

“Divers and rescue crews worked by floodlight through the bitter cold night to raise the wreckage and recover bodies of the nine soldiers and the plane’s chief pilot, Harold Poe, of Seattle, Wash. All the missing men were believed to have drowned. One survivor said Poe apparently had made it to shore safely, then dived back into the water to pull someone else out. He was not seen again….

“The servicemen had returned from Europe late Wednesday, reported to Camp Kilmer, N.J., and then boarded the place at Newark for the trip west. They were to have received furloughs at their destinations so they could spend Christmas with their families….

“The 18 men who made it to shore were taken to McKeesport Hospital three miles away. Most suffered from exposure in the 18-degree temperatures.” (New Castle News (PA), “Servicemen Are Crash Victims at Dravosburg,” December 23, 1954.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Johnson Flying Service, 22 Dec 1954. Accessed 2-20-2009 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19541222-0

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Johnson Flying Service, Inc. – Near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 22, 1954. Washington, DC: CAB, released 4-8-1955. Accessed 4-28-2023 at: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33519

New Castle News, PA. “Servicemen Are Crash Victims at Dravosburg,” Dec. 23, 1954. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=57197409&currentResult=2&src=search