crashes, 10M ENE Savannah, GA– 18

lornajarrettblanchard January 7, 1948

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 29, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–18 Aviation Safety Network, Database, 1948. Coastal Air Lines, 7 Jan 1948.

–18 Civil Aeronautics Board. AIR. Coastal Air Lines, Inc. – Savannah, GA – Jan 7, 1948.

Narrative Information

Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Investigation Report (SA-160; File No. 1-001):

“The Accident

“A Douglas DC-3C, owned and operated by Coastal Air Lines, Inc., a nonscheduled air carrier crashed approximately 10 miles east-northeast of Savannah, Georgia, at 0745, 1 January 7, 1948. Aldino A. Antonioli, captain, and 17 of the 25 passengers were fatally injured; Raymond Eick, co-pilot, and 8 passengers were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

“History of the Flight

“NC-60331 departed from Newark, New Jersey, for Miami, Florida, at 2159, January 6, with 23 passengers and a crew of two. The first stop was at the Northeast Airport, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 2246, where 2 additional passengers were taken aboard. Departure from this point was made at 0237, January 7, and 2 hours and 39 minutes later the flight arrived at the Raleigh-Durham Airport, Raleigh, North Carolina.

“After refueling to 600 gallons of gasoline, the flight departed at 0553 on an instrument flight plan to Miami, via Airway Amber 7, at an altitude of 2,000 feet. The crew reported over the Florence, South Carolina, range station at 0643 at an altitude of 2,000 feet. At 0716 they reported over Charleston, South Carolina, at an altitude of 2,000 feet, and estimated their arrival over Savannah at 0744. This was the last communication received from the flight.

“Between Charleston and Savannah, Co-pilot Eick left the cockpit to obtain navigational charts, during which time he heard one or both of the engines run roughly. By the time he returned to his seat, however, both engines were again operating normally. A few minutes later both engines stopped, and the fuel pressure gauges were observed to be at zero. The wobble pump was used, different positions of the fuel tank selector valves were tried, the cross-feed valves were turned to the on position, but no fuel pressure could be obtained.

“When it became apparent that the engines could not be restarted, Captain Antonioli informed the co-pilot that it would be necessary to make a forced landing in a nearby marsh, and instructed him to see that the passengers were secured by safety belts. Co-pilot Eick proceeded immediately to the cabin where he buckled the safety belts of 4 or 5 passengers. Then he felt the airplane turning steeply, and he attempted to return to the cockpit. By the time he reached the radio compartment passageway between the passenger cabin and the cockpit he was forced to the floor by centrifugal force. The aircraft shuddered as though in a stall, and crashed.

“Witnesses on a nearby barge saw the aircraft approaching from a north-westerly direction at an altitude estimated to be 1,000 feet, descending without audible engine noise. It was observed to enter a gliding turn to the left which was continued for about one and one-half revolutions, until the airplane crashed into a marsh and burst into flames.

“Investigation

….

“Fire started almost immediately after the crash and destroyed the remains of the forward portion of the fuselage, and the center section….

“Several aircraft and engine log sheets were found to be missing from the company maintenance records. In some instances it appeared that no written record was made of pilot aircraft operation reports, and that such reports were, instead, given verbally to maintenance personnel. With the exception of pilot preflight inspection, no regular procedure had been instituted for aircraft inspections at intervals less than the 100-hour inspection unless such inspections were specifically requested by the company….

“Discussion

“Testimony of Co-pilot Eick to the effect that the fuel pressure for both engines dropped to zero at or about the time that the engines stopped firing, limits the possible causes of engine failure to the fuel system. Many parts of the fuel system and the fuel lines were consumed by fire, and it was accordingly impossible to determine directly from an examination of the wreckage the cause of the loss of fuel pressure and the resulting failure of both engines. However, the known circumstances and conditions of flight…were sufficiently complete to afford a reasonable basis from which to deduce the probable cause of power failure.

“Fuel consumption was computed by the crew during the course of this flight to be 84 gallons per hour, 42 gallons per engine per hour, which was a normal rate of consumption for the R-1839092 engines installed in this aircraft. Had each engine been operated from its own main or auxiliary tank during the entire course of the flight, no fuel exhaustion would have been possible. The main tanks at take-off contained 210 gallons each and the auxiliary tanks 100 gallons each. Thus, the fuel supply in any one tank was more than ample to supply the needs of either one of the two engines for more than one hour and 52 minutes of flight. Therefore, only two possibilities of total power failure remain. Either both engines were operated from only one tank until the contents were drained, or a rupture in a line occurred in the fuel system.

“The Safety Bureau has on record no case in which a ruptured fuel line has been the cause of engine failure in DC-3 type aircraft. The possibility of a broke or ruptured fuel line is extremely remote, and it would seem more likely that the loss of fuel pressure was due to operating two engines from one tank until the fuel supply in the tank was exhausted. Fuel found in the fuel lines, pumps, and carburetors at the scene of the accident may have flowed into these parts of the system after engine stoppage and after the many adjustments had been made in the fuel selector valve controls. It was not necessarily a sufficient amount for engine operation.

“Had both engines been operated from one auxiliary tank which contained 100 gallons during the entire course of the flight, the tank would have been emptied in approximately one hour and 20 minutes of engine operation and fuel exhaustion would have been experienced prior to the time that it actually was. Had both engines been operated from one main tank which contained 210 gallons, fuel exhaustion would have been experienced only after 2:25 hours of flying. These estimates do not include fuel which would have been used in engine warm-up, taxiing, and take-off. It is highly possible, however, that the engines were operated from their respective main tanks until all flight and engine controls were adjusted for cruise. Then, the fuel selector valves were inadvertently positioned so that both engines were supplied fuel from only one of the auxiliary tanks until the fuel in the tank was exhausted. Sush a theory is largely supposition, but it logically accounts for the events known to have occurred during flight….

“After considering all possibilities and known circumstances of flight it appears that the most probable cause of total power failure was, that one fuel tank was used to operate both engines until its contents were drained, and that the pilot then placed the cross-feed valve in the on position before changing the position of either of the fuel selector valves. The steep turn and stall which the co-pilot described as occurring just before the crash and the fact that the airplane struck the ground when in a steep turning attitude indicated that the pilot lost control of the airplane during the descent. Had the co-pilot been in his seat where he could have assisted either in the manipulation of the flight controls or in the attempts that were made to restore power, the aircraft could have undoubtedly been flown to a normal crash landing on the marsh. Therefore, the complete destruction of the airplane and the resulting fatalities that occurred in this case can be attributed in a large part to the lack of crew coordination and proper cockpit procedure.” ….

“Probable Cause

“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the lack of fuel management which caused engine failure and resulted in a forced landing during which control was lost of the aircraft.” (Civil Aeronautics Board. AIR. Coastal Air Lines, Inc. – Savannah, GA – Jan 7, 1948.)

Newspaper

Jan 8, UP: “Savannah, Ga., Jan. 8. (UP) – Authorities today investigated claims of survivors that they had tried unsuccessfully to cancel their reservations on a chartered DC-3 airliner that crashed near here yesterday, killing 17 persons and injuring nine. The concerted army C-47, en route from Newark, N.J., to Puerto Rico, crashed and burned in swampy marshes near the mouth of the Savannah River.

“Of the dead, 14 were Puerto Ricans from the New York area making a pilgrimage to their homeland. Another was plane Capt. Aldioni Atoniolli. Two other bodies, burned to a crisp were said to be those of U.S. internal revenue agents picked up in Philadelphia. They were burned so badly that they were not immediately identifiable. The nine injured survivors were taken to a hospital here where most of them were in serious condition.

“Two Puerto Rican survivors charged from their hospital beds that the plane, operated by Coastal Airlines of Teterboro, N.J., had not been fully converted for civilian use. They said it still had bucket seats for passengers. Pinol Octavio and Pilar Diaz, both of New York, said they were dissatisfied with the plane when they first saw it at Newark Airport. They claimed all the passengers tried to get their $57 refunded from Travel Agent Manuel Cassiano of New York who arranged the trip. They said the agent sent his son to the airport to inspect the plane and he told them they would have to take the plane or lose their money.

“It was the second crash in less than six months involving Puerto Ricans flying in chartered planes to their homeland. Eighteen Puerto Ricans were among 21 killed when another chartered was surplus DC-3 crashed near Melbourne, Fla., on July 13, 1947….” (United Press. “Crash Survivors Tried to Cancel Fatal Flight.” Wichita Daily Times, TX. 1-8-1948, p. 1.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948. Coastal Air Lines DC-3 crash 10 mls NNE of Savannah GA, 7 January 1948. Accessed 9-29-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19480107-0

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Coastal Air Lines, Inc. – Savannah, Georgia – January 7, 1948. Washington, DC: CAB, May 17, 1948. Accessed 9-29-2023 at: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33325

United Press. “Crash Survivors Tried to Cancel Fatal Flight.” Wichita Daily Times, TX. 1-8-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-29-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/wichita-daily-times-jan-08-1948-p-1/

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