1948 — Jan 28, Airline Transport Carriers crash (US INS charter to Mex.) ~Coalinga, CA–32
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 19, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–32 Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). 11-6-2011 revision.
–32 Civil Aeronautics Board. AIR. Airline Transport, Inc., – Coalinga, CA, Jan 28, 1948.
–32 Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.”
–32 Oakland Tribune, CA. “32 Perish as Oakland Plane Catches Fire in Air, Crashes.” 1-28-’48
Narrative Information
Baugher: “Douglas C-47B-40-DK Skytrain….77266 (c/n 16850/33598) to Airline Transport Carriers as NC36480. Crashed in Diablo Canyon, CA Jan 28, 1948 in flight from Oakland IAP,CA to Imperial County Airport, CA carrying Mexican deportees. No. 1 engine caught fire and left wing fell off. 3 crew and 29 passengers killed.” (Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). 11-6-2011 revision.)
Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Investigation Report (File No. 1-0007, 8-12-1948:
“The Accident
“At approximately 1050, January 28, 1948, a DC-3, aircraft NC-36480, owned and operated by Airline Transport Carriers, a non-scheduled carrier, crashed near Coalinga, California. All of the 29 passengers and the crew of 3 were fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire.
“History of the Flight
“The flight departed from its operating base, Burbank, California, for Oakland, California, at 0646, January, 1948. According to company instructions, the crew consisting of Francis Charles Atkinson, captain; Marion Harlow Ewing, first officer; and Mrs. Francis Charles Atkinson, stewardess, were to fly NC-79055, which was certificated to carry 32 passengers, however, the crew made a mistake and departed in NC-36480. This airplane was certificated to carry only 26 passengers and was 7 hours overdue for a 100-hour inspection at the time of departure from Burbank.
“Landing at Oakland was accomplished at 0849. The trip had been routine, and somewhere between Burbank and Oakland the pilot apparently realized that he was flying the wrong airplane for he requested his landing instructions from the Oakland tower with the appropriate airplane call numbers, 480. In Oakland, 28 Mexican Nationals and one United States Immigration official were enplaned for a flight to the Imperial County Airport, Imperial County, California. This flight was to be performed under a contract which the company had with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.
“Since NC-36480 had accommodations for only 26 passengers, three of the 28 Mexican Nationals who boarded the aircraft were unable to be seated where they could be secured with safety belts. According to the statement of a United States Immigration official who assisted in the loading, three pieces of unsecured luggage were in the aisle at the time of take-off, and it as probable that the three passengers were seated on this luggage after the aircraft taxied from its parking area at the Oakland Airport for take-off. The remainder of the airplane load consisted of 375 gallons of fuel. Total weight was 67 pounds in excess of the maximum allowable.
“No flight plan was filed for the southbound trip since clear weather conditions prevailed over the route to the Imperial County Airport. Take-off was accomplished at approximately 0930. Before leaving the Oakland tower frequency Captain Atkinson received a message from his company, relayed through the tower, that he was to return directly to Burbank. His acknowledgment of this message was the last communication received from the flight.
“One hour and 35 minutes after the aircraft had departed from Oakland, it was observed over the vicinity of Coalinga, California, cruising at an estimated altitude of 5,000 feet above the ground. At this time a trail of white vapor or smoke, 150 to 200 feet long, was observed streaming from the left engine of the aircraft. Ten to 15 seconds later flames were seen flowing from the left engine over the wing and back to the empennage. Seconds later the left wing and the left engine dropped free from the rest of the aircraft; and the airplane fell out of control, crashed to the ground, and burst into flames.
“Investigation
“The main portion of the wreckage was concentrated in an area approximately 75 feet in diameter. The fuselage, right wing, and right engine were destroyed by fire. The left wing had separated from the aircraft in flight and was found one-half to three-fourths of a mile from the main body of the wreckage. The left engine which also had fallen from the aircraft in flight had struck a hillside 600 feet above the main wreckage and had rolled down the mill, coming to rest 150 feet below the wreckage.
“With the exception of the left engine fuel pump and left wing, no part of the aircraft or any of its components indicated structural failure or mechanical malfunction prior to the time of impact. The fuel pump was removed from the left engine. The four studs which held the castings of the pump-case together were loose, and the parts of the case could be moved with finger pressure. When the pimp was disassembled, it was found that the separating gasket between the castings was broken on the intake or low pressure side of the pump. The pump was reassembled as nearly as possible to the condition it had been at the time of removal from the engine, and was then bench checked. Test fluid flowed freely through the broken portion of the gasket. The four connecting studs were tightened, but test fluid continued to flow through the break in the gasket. Fluid was then fed to the pump under 18-pound pressure, which would have been the pressure supplied from the booster pimps in the aircraft. This test resulted in the fluid being sprayed from the pump in large quantities.
“A portion of the fire wall which had been located directly behind the left fuel pump was found with a heavy deposit of carbon particles on the forward side. Fire from the fuel pump, and around this part of the fire wall could be traced through the rest of the engine nacelle to the main wing spar. The left wing aid the main spar directly behind the left engine showed evidence of being subjected to considerable heat and fire, and fire had burned through the top section of the wing and through the main spar….
“Discussion
“The error of the crew in taking the wrong airplane and their overloading the aircraft with 3 passengers, who were not provided with safety belts, certainly indicated laxness and poor judgment on the part of the crew, but these considerations did not materially contribute to the cause of the accident. The left wing failed as a result of fire damage, and all evidence found during the course of the investigation points to the defective fuel pump as the source of the fire.
“The fuel stained portion of the fuel pump castings, where the break in the separating gasket was located, showed that the fracture had existed for a considerable period of time before the accident. It is highly possible that the fuel pump was in this condition prior to expiration of the time for the 100-hour inspection, which was 7 hours overdue when the aircraft was flown from Burbank; and it is questionable whether the condition of this fuel pump would have been discovered during the course of 100-hour inspection unless the fuel system were examined under pressure. The defect, latent in character, was certain of discovery only by removal of the pump and examination of its parts….
“Probable Cause
“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the left wing in flight as result of damage by fire which had its source in a defective left engine driven fuel pump.” (Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Airline Transport, Inc., – Coalinga, CA, Jan 28, 1948.)
Notable CA Aviation Disasters:
“Date / Time: Wednesday, January 28, 1948 / 10:50 a.m.
“Operator / Flight No.: Airline Transport Carriers, Inc. / Non-Scheduled Charter
“Location: Los Gatos Canyon, near Coalinga, Calif.
“Details and Probable Cause: Based at the Lockheed Air Terminal in Burbank, Airline Transport Carriers, Inc., was a non-scheduled air carrier operating under a letter of registration issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and an operating certificate issued by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA).
“Early on the morning of January 28, a crew of three — pilot Francis “Frank” Atkinson, 30, stewardess Lillian “Bobbie” Atkinson, 28 (Captain Atkinson’s wife), and copilot Marion Harlow Ewing, 33 — were contracted to fly company aircraft NC79055, a Douglas DC-3, from Burbank to Oakland. Upon arrival at Oakland, the plane, certificated to carry up to 32 passengers, was to take aboard 28 Mexican Nationals and a United States Immigration Department official and then fly the group to Imperial County Airport near El Centro, California, where the Mexican Nationals were to be processed at a deportation facility.
“However, the flight crew mistakenly boarded the wrong company aircraft and departed Burbank for Oakland at 6:46 a.m. with aircraft NC36480, a similar twin-engine Douglas DC-3 (actually a former military version of the DC-3, a Douglas C-47B-40-DK Skytrain transport that had been converted to post-war passenger use). This plane was certificated to carry only 26 passengers and was seven hours overdue for a required 100-hour maintenance inspection.
“The flight from Burbank to Oakland was routine, but at some point during the flight Captain Atkinson apparently realized that he was flying the wrong airplane for he requested his landing instructions from the Oakland control tower using the appropriate call numbers for the aircraft being utilized: 480. The plane landed at Oakland at 8:49 a.m.
“Since this particular DC-3 could only seat 26 passengers, and 29 were boarding at Oakland, this left three of the Mexican Nationals without seats in which they could be secured with safety belts. According to the statement of a second United States Immigration Department employee who assisted with the passenger loading process, three pieces of unsecured luggage were present in the passenger cabin aisle at the time of the plane’s departure, and “it is probable” that the three passengers were seated on this luggage after the aircraft taxied away from the loading area.
“Total weight for the plane upon departure was 67 pounds over the maximum allowable weight.
Just prior to departure, the captain received a message from his company, relayed through the control tower, that he was to return directly to Burbank. Atkinson’s acknowledgment of this message was the last communication received from the flight, and the plane departed Oakland at approximately 9:30 a.m.
“Over an hour and 20 minutes later the DC-3 was observed by various people on the ground in the vicinity of Coalinga cruising at an estimated altitude of 5,000 feet and emitting a stream of white smoke or vapor, 150 to 200 feet long, from its left (port) engine.
“Moments later, flames were seen erupting from the left engine and after several more seconds the entire left wing and engine fell from the aircraft. Eyewitness Frank V. Johnson, a foreman overseeing a gang of road camp workers, told the Associated Press that the plane “appeared to explode and a wing fell off” before it plummeted to the ground. An estimated nine or ten occupants of the plane appeared to jump or fall from the aircraft before it hit the earth, he added.
“The DC-3 plunged out of control into Los Gatos Canyon at the southern edge of the Diablo mountain range in western Fresno County and burst into flames. All 29 passengers and three crew members were killed in the crash. Twelve of the Mexican Nationals were never positively identified.
“Investigators probing the wreckage discovered that the left-engine fuel pump contained a defective gasket that allowed a significant amount of fuel to be sprayed from the pump. Since this defect was only detected after the pump was removed from the wreckage and disassembled, officials were not sure whether it would have been discovered during the course of the (overdue) routine 100-hour maintenance inspection.
“It was noted by investigators in their final accident report that Airline Transport Carriers records disclosed that the airline was performing the required maintenance on its planes. But the officials noted that had the company established some sort of alert or notice — other than the aircraft log itself — that the airplane was overdue for inspection and, therefore, “out of commission,” the crew’s error of taking the wrong aircraft might not have occurred.
“As to the actual cause of the accident, investigators ultimately came to the conclusion that fuel, escaping from the defective gasket within the fuel pump, was ignited by an engine source, possibly the engine’s exhaust stack. The inflight fire then spread into the wing panel and burned through the main spar of the left wing, causing the wing to separate and fall from the aircraft.
“The investigators’ report also concluded that “the error of the crew in taking he wrong airplane and their overloading the aircraft with 3 passengers, who were not provided with safety belts, certainly indicated laxness and poor judgment on the part of the crew, but these considerations did not materially contribute to the cause of the accident.”
“Famed folk singer Woody Guthrie’s song “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)” is based on this aviation disaster. Guthrie was reportedly outraged after hearing a radio news account of the accident in which the victims were referred to as “just deportees.”
“Fatalities: 32–3 crew members; 29 passengers.” (Notable CA Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.”)
Newspaper
Jan 8: “Wing Falls Off Big DC-3 Airliner Under Contract to Government for Taking Mexican Nationals Home.
“Thirty-two persons were killed today when a twin-engine DC-3 airliner from Oakland, chartered by the U.S. Immigration Service, caught fire in mid-air, disintegrated and crashed in a mass of flames in the Diablo section of the Coast Range near Coalinga, Fresno County.
“One of the victims was Frank Chaffin, 63, of 1350 Albina Avenue, Berkeley, an Immigration Service guard. Others were the crew of three and 28 Mexican Nationals, who were being returned to their homeland.
“Airline Transport Carriers, Inc., the company which operated the plane, which has its main office in Burbank, said the members of the crew were Frank Atkinson, 30, of Long Beach, the pilot; his wife, Bobbie Atkinson, who was stewardess; and Marion Ewing, 32, of Balboa, co-pilot.
BOUND FOR MEXICO
“Chaffin, who would have retired in two years, is survived by his widow, Mary, of Berkeley, and three stepsons, including Sgt Robert Bowers, of the El Cerrito Police Department, and George C. Bowers, chief of police in Winnetka, HI.
“The plane left Oakland Municipal Airport at 9:45 a.m. and was bound for El Centre, where it was to clear for Mexico.
“The crash first was reported by Melvin Willmirth, superintendent of the Fresno County Road Camp. Rudy Larson, a cook at the camp, which is about a mile west of the place where the plane crashed, said the right engine of the plane caught fire at an altitude of about 1500 feet. The right wing then crumpled and dropped off and the plane crashed into the ground and burned. He said the gasoline tanks apparently exploded just before the plane hit.
SEVERAL JUMP
“Reports of witnesses received at the Fresno County Sheriffs office said that 8 or 9 persons were seen to jump while the plane still was in the air.
“At least 26 bodies had been recovered by prisoners from the road camp and rescuers, and others were believed inside the charred wreckage. Prisoners also helped to extinguish the fire.
“A Southwest Airways pilot who flew over the wreckage reported it was “burning fiercely” when he passed, and that he could see ambulances from the nearby town of Coalinga at the crash scene.
UNDER U.S. CONTRACT
“All of the Mexican nationals were said to be agricultural workers who were being returned to Mexico after having been picked up as illegally in the country. The Immigration Service has been contracting for planes of the Airline Transport Carriers company for flights out of Oakland which have been operated about once a week.
“The number of Mexicans aboard was set at 28 by Immigration Service officers in San Francisco, but in Burbank. Col. Charles C. Sherman, lead of the airline, said he understood there were only 24 passengers aboard.
“Main wreckage of the plane and the wing which came off were some distance apart, according to a radio report by the airline pilot who sighted it from the air. The plane fell in mountainous area about 20 miles west of Coalinga.
“Long Beach airport officials said Pilot Atkinson, formerly of Rochester, N.Y., had logged more than 1700 hours flying time as a member of the Air Transport Command during wartime.” (Oakland Tribune, CA. “32 Perish as Oakland Plane Catches Fire in Air, Crashes.” 1-28-1948, 1)
Sources
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. Airline Transport, Inc., – Coalinga, CA, January 28, 1948. Washington, DC: CAB. Accessed 9-19-2023 at: dot_33329_DS1.pdf
http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?websearch&site=dot_aircraftacc
Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.” Sep 25, 2009 update. Accessed 10/17/2009 at: http://www.jaydeebee1.com/crash40s.html
Oakland Tribune, CA. “32 Perish as Oakland Plane Catches Fire in Air, Crashes.” 1-28-1948, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=46783783
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