1964 — Feb 3, South Central Airlines air taxi takeoff crash, Gainesville Airport, FL –all 10

–10 AP. “10 Persons Are Killed in Florida Plane Crash.” Corpus Christi Times, TX. 2-3-1964, 1.
–10 U.S. CAB. AAR. South Central Air…Gainesville…Airport, Gainesville, FL, Feb 3, 1964.

Narrative Information

U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board: “A South Central Airlines, Inc., Beech D18S, N2999, crashed during takeoff from runway 6 at the Gainesville Municipal Airport, Gainesville, Florida, at 0800 e.s.t., February 3, 1964. All ten persons aboard, including nine passengers and one crew member, received fatal injuries. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and subsequent fire.

“South Central Airlines, Inc., is an air taxi operator certificated to operate under the provisions of Part 42a of the Civil Air Regulations. At the time of the accident, South Central Airlines operated scheduled service over routes within the State of Florida. Its principal business, operations, and maintenance base was at Ocala, Florida.

“South Central Airlines Flight 510/3 was a scheduled air taxi flight from Ocala, to Tallahassee, with stops at Gainesville and Jacksonville, Florida…. It departed the Jim Taylor Airport, Ocala, at approximately 0720, February 3, 1964, and arrived at the Gainesville Municipal Airport at 0733….

“The pilot of N2999 commenced takeoff at 0800. Witnesses who observed the takeoff stated the aircraft made a steep climb to an altitude of 200 feet with the flaps in the extended position. At this altitude, the aircraft appeared to stall and dive in a left-wing-down attitude to the departure end of runway 6. Several witnesses stated they heard the engines surging just before the aircraft stalled and struck the runway. Witnesses who observed the loading of the aircraft and its departure from the terminal area did not observe the position of the wing flaps at that time.

“Initial impact was 79 feet from the departure end of runway 6 and ten feet to the left of the runway centerline…. Fire followed impact. The left wing and engine separated from the aircraft at impact and the fuselage, right wing, right engine, and tail assembly bounced and slid approximately 100 feet and came to rest on fire…. The South Central pilot who assisted in the loading of N2999 was one of the first persons to appear at the wreckage scene and attempted to open the rear compartment door. He was unable to do so because of intense heat and jamming of the door. He observed no signs of life from the occupants of the aircraft….

“N2999 had eight passenger seats and two pilot seats installed. The empty weight and c.g. [center of gravity] as shown on the latest FAA Form 337 and the requirements of Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations indicate that it was not possible to put a 170-pound passenger in each seat without exceeding the aft c.g. limit. Addition of any fuel to the aircraft then moved the c.g. further aft. It was not possible to operate N2999 with eight passengers unless ballast was carried in the nose compartment. There were no placards to warn of these dangerous loading restrictions, nor were any required by the provisions of Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations.

“The Form 337, submitted upon installation of the eight seats, was accepted by the FAA General Aviation District Office (GADO) in Miami, without any review to determine if the aircraft complied with the weight and balance provisions of Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations. Although computations were checked for accuracy, there was no check to determine the validity of the figures used as the basis for the computations. There was no review to see if the aircraft could operate with the eight seats occupied and still comply with the provisions of Part 3 of the Civil Air Regulations….

“An aft baggage compartment was installed on the right side opposite the most rearward seat. This required the removal of the rear bulkhead at fuselage station 9. This compartment was limited to 276 pounds of baggage when the rear seat was not occupied. It was further limited to 106 pounds when the seat was occupied…. Placards were required in both the nose and the aft baggage compartments indicating their maximum load capacity. There was conflicting testimony as to whether these placards were installed….

“…computations reveal that the aircraft was overloaded and excessively tail heavy…. When the c.g. of an airplane lies sufficiently forward of the neutral point, the airplane possesses a positive static longitudinal stability. As the c.g. is moved rearward beyond the rear limits, and beyond the neutral point, the aircraft will become unstable. If the c.g. is moved sufficiently rearward of the neutral stability point there may not be sufficient elevator effectiveness to reverse an unwanted pitching motion.

“N2999 had been modified in accordance with a proposed STC to increase the maximum takeoff gross weight, extend the aft c.g. limit, and, in accordance with an FAA Form 337, modify the passenger compartment by installing eight seats and a baggage compartment. This STC had not been approved prior to the approval of the Flight Manual Supplement, nor at the time of the accident….

“Takeoff appeared to be normal until gear retraction when uncontrolled maneuvers were observed which were typical of an aircraft which is unstable due to an excessive aft c.g. The out-of-c.g. condition, aggravated further by the rearward shift in center of gravity due to gear retraction, placed the aircraft outside its aerodynamic control parameter with insufficient elevator effectiveness to prevent an excessively nose-high attitude; this resulted in a low altitude stall shortly after takeoff from which recovery was not possible….

“The probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s failure to properly load the aircraft, resulting in insufficient elevator effectiveness to reverse an unwanted pitching motion.” (CAB. AAR. South Central Air…Gainesville…Airport, Gainesville, FL, Feb 3, 1964.)

Sources

Associated Press, Gainesville, Fla. “10 Persons Are Killed in Florida Plane Crash.” The Corpus Christi Times, TX. 2-3-1964, p. 1. Accessed 7-25-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/corpus-christi-times-feb-03-1964-p-1/

Civil Aeronautics Board. Aircraft Accident Report. South Central Airlines, Inc., Beech D18S, N2999, Gainesville Municipal Airport, Gainesville, Florida, February 3, 1964. Washington, DC: CAB (File No. 2-0001), January 5, 1965, 19 pages. Accessed 7-25-2022 at: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33700/dot_33700_DS1.pdf