1960 — Oct 29, Arctic-Pacific (football team charter) takeoff crash, Toledo Express AP, OH–22

–22 Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Ohio, 1960-1969.
–22 AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 10291960.
–22 Bugbee. “Fire Protection Developments in 1960,” Quarterly of the NFPA, 54/3, Jan 1961, 211.
–22 CAB. AAR. Arctic-Pacific, Inc…Toledo Express Airport, Toledo, OH, October 29, 1960.
–22 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 371.
–22 NFPA. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1960.” Quarterly…NFPA, 54/3, Jan 1961, pp. 254-255.

Narrative Information

Civil Aeronautics Board: “At approximately 2202 e.s.t., October 29, 1960, An Arctic-Pacific, Inc., Super C-46F, N 1244N, crashed during takeoff from the Toledo Express Airport, Toledo, Ohio. Of the 45 passengers and 3 crew members aboard, 20 passengers and the captain and copilot were fatally injured.

“N1244N of Arctic-Pacific, Inc., a supplemental air carrier, was chartered to transport the California State Polytechnic College football team from Santa Maria, California to Toledo, Ohio, and return. The aircraft took off from Toledo Express Airport on the return flight to San Luis Obispo in weather conditions of 9/10th partial sky obscuration; zero visibility in fog; and weighing approximately 2,000 pounds more than its maximum certified gross weight of 47,100 pounds. The aircraft crashed approximately 5,800 feet from the threshold of the takeoff runway, caught fire, and was destroyed.

“The Board has determined that the probable cause of this accident was loss of control during a premature liftoff. Contributing factors were the overweight aircraft, weather conditions, and partial loss of power in the left engine.

“As a result of this accident the Federal Aviation Agency, on October 31, 1960, suspended the air carrier operating certificate issued to Arctic-Pacific in accordance with Section 609 of the Federal Act of 1958. Subsequently the operating certificate, which expired on November 14, 1960, was not renewed.

“The FAA also published a notice in the Airman’s Guide and has instructed its tower operators to withhold takeoff clearance from an air carrier or other commercial aircraft operated for the purpose of carrying passengers or property for compensation or hire when the prevailing visibility for the airport of departure or runway visibility for the departure runway is less than one-quarter of a mile, or runway visual range is less than 2,000 feet….

“Arctic-Pacific, Inc., minimums for takeoff from Toledo Express Airport were 300 feet ceiling and 1-mile visibility, or 400 feet ceiling and 3/4ths-mile visibility on the sliding scale….

“At 2201 the aircraft was heard to pass the tower. Surviving passengers described a swerve to the right followed by a swerve or violent swerve back to the left during the latter part of the takeoff run.. These swerves were followed by an abrupt or lurching type takeoff. Passengers also described a shuddering or vibration shortly after takeoff followed by a left wing-down, nose-down attitude. Passengers aboard the aircraft and ear witnesses positioned on the airport stated they heard perceptible changes in the sound of the engine or engines. These witnesses also describe a momentary silence prior to the impact noise. The impact was described by witnesses as a ‘dull boom’. At no time after the aircraft entered the taxiway had it been seen by any of the personnel on the airport due to heavy fog….

“The aft portion of the fuselage separated at fuselage station 333, and continued on the impact path, coming to rest inverted…The forward portion of the fuselage and wings, after cart wheeling, came to rest in an upright position….Fire engulfed the right wing, cockpit, and forward cabin areas. The 26 survivors sustained injuries ranging from bruises and shock to serious burns and fractures. The majority were thrown from the wreckage during the breakup of the fuselage. Five survivors remained belted into their seats, hanging upside down. These five evacuated the aft fuselage section through the open main entrance door….

“An analysis of the facts and evidence surrounding this accident reveals that the tragedy occurred as a result of a premature liftoff on an overloaded aircraft from an airport where zero visibility in fog existed.

“Because of the weather conditions at Toledo Express Airport, certain economic factors confronted Captain Chesher. Captain Chesher had the responsibility for 43 passengers as well as the crew. If the flight did not depart, as planned, Captain Chesher, as agent for the Artic-Pacific, would have been obligated to furnish lodging, meals, and transportation for these passengers. It is possible that the economic situation may well have influenced his decision to take off….

“The Board concludes that Captain Chesher and the management of Arctic-Pacific Airlines displayed utter disregard for the regulations set forth as to flight time limitations, minimum weather conditions, proper completion and filing of required paper work, good maintenance and inspection practices, and for compliance with regulations concerned with ensuring operation, including maximum gross takeoff weight, in a manner to guarantee safety to the public…” (CAB. AAR. Arctic-Pacific, Inc…Toledo Express Airport, Toledo, Ohio, October 29, 1960.)

NFPA: “”The most tragic aircraft fire accident of the year occurring in the United States in which the majority of deaths are directly attributable to the fire aspects occurred at Toledo on October 29….

“The Toledo accident occurred during takeoff of the chartered C-46 in a heavy fog. The victims, including 16 members of the California State Polytechnic College football team, the pilot and co-pilot and 4 others, were mostly burned to death in the front section of the twin-engine aircraft according to a medical examiner. The tail section broke off at impact and most of the survivors were in this section, many suffering severe injuries and burns. From the information available to date, it would appear that the flight was operated, in the words of FAA Administrator Quesada, with ‘a gross disregard for public safety and the regulations of the Federal Aviation Agency.’ The Airlines operating license was suspended within two days of the crash under the emergency suspension authority of the FAA.

“Newspaper accounts indicate that the aircraft sustained a power failure during takeoff and crashed just after having become airborne (maximum altitude about 100 feet), alongside the 7,000-foot main runway of the Airport. The fog was so dense that the control tower operator could not see the flames only from about 400 yards away. Air National Guard personnel, having a Halloween party in a nearby hangar, grabbed extinguishers and rushed to the scent. The volunteer Airport and Air National Guard Fire Departments responded….There was a delay of about three minutes in the response of rescue and fire apparatus because of the fog. The principal fire control effort was with water fog and fog-foam, but it is not established whether any of the 26 who escaped with their lives can thank these fire crews for their rescue….” (National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1960.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 54, No. 3, Jan 1961, pp. 254-255.)

Sources

Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Ohio, 1960-1969. Accessed 3-10-2009 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/Ohio-1960-1969.htm

AirDisaster.com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 10291960. Accessed at: http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=10291960&reg=N1244N&airline=Arctic+Pacific+Airlines

Bugbee, Percy. “Fire Protection Developments in 1960,” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 54, No. 3, Jan 1961, pp. 211-212.

Civil Aeronautics Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Arctic-Pacific, Inc., Curtis Wright, Super C-46F, N 1244N, Toledo Express Airport, Toledo, Ohio, October 29, 1960. Washington, DC: CAB (File No. 1-0047), January 22, 1962, 13 pages. Accessed at: http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=8&name=*P%3A%5CDOT%5Cairplane%20accidents%5Cwebsearch%5C102960A.pdf

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1960.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 54, No. 3, Jan 1961, pp. 233-268.