National Airlines Flight 16

1945 aviation accident

National Airlines
Flight 16

A National Airlines Lockheed 18 Lodestar, similar to the one involved in the accident

Accident
Date| October 5, 1945
Summary| Pilot error
Site| Lakeland, Florida
27°59′20″N 082°01′07″W﻿ / ﻿27.98889°N 82.01861°W﻿ / 27.98889; -82.01861
Aircraft
Aircraft type| Lockheed 18-50 Lodestar
Operator| National Airlines
Registration| NC18199
Flight origin| Miami, Florida
1st stopover| Fort Myers, Florida
2nd stopover| Sarasota, Florida
3rd stopover| St Petersburg, Florida
4th stopover| Tampa, Florida
Destination| Lakeland Municipal Airport
Occupants| 15
Passengers| 12
Crew| 3
Fatalities| 2
Survivors| 13

National Airlines Flight 16 was a domestic (U.S.), scheduled passenger flight from Miami, Florida, to Lakeland, Florida, that crashed on October 5, 1945. The aircraft was on the last leg of a Miami-Fort Myers-Sarasota-St Petersburg-Tampa-Lakeland route. The cause of the crash was determined to be a faulty missed approach procedure, which caused the aircraft to overshoot the runway and land in Lake Parker approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) beyond.[1] Two passengers drowned, and several others were injured.[2]

## Aircraft and crew

[edit]

Flight 16 was serviced by a Lockheed Lodestar 18-50 that had been manufactured in 1942 for the US Army Air Corps. The aircraft was owned by the Defense Plant Corporation, and was leased to National Airlines.[2] The airframe had accumulated a total of 1798 hours of airtime, 628 hours of which had occurred since its last overhaul. The aircraft was one of only 13 Lodestar 18-50s variants built out of a total of 625 Lodestar 18's.

The aircraft was piloted by Captain William Merrill Corry, an employee of National Airlines since November 1943. Captain Corry had a total of 4800 hours of flight time, and 851 hours on a Lockheed 18–50. The copilot was First Officer William Hawley Conrad, an employee of National Airlines since May 7, 1945. First Officer Conrad had 5247 hours of flight time, with 409 on a Lockheed 18–50. The stewardess was Ethel Katherine McCoy.[2]

## Flight and crash

[edit]

The aircraft, a Lockheed 18-50 Lodestar, departed Miami at 9:12 p.m. on October 4, 1945, 1 hour, 15 minutes behind schedule due to delays in previous flights. The flight progressed normally during stops at Fort Myers, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Tampa. The plane departed Tampa at 12:45 a.m. and continued towards Lakeland.[2]

Lakeland reported 9 miles of visibility with scattered clouds at 500 feet (150 m). At 12:58 a.m., at seven miles from the airfield, the pilots established a straight-in descent to the northeastern runway. The descent continued normally until the aircraft reached 600 feet (180 m), when the aircraft abruptly entered an unexpected cloud.[1] This prompted the captain to retract the landing gear and tell the first officer that he was going to initiate a missed approach, and go around for a second attempt at landing.[1][2]

Witnesses on the ground observed that the aircraft continued along the runway at approximately 30 to 40 feet (9.1 to 12.2 m) above the surface. It passed the end of the runway and struck the surface of the Lake Parker adjacent to the Lakeland airport approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) beyond the end of the runway. The aircraft skipped an additional 1,000 feet (300 m), shedding fuselage covering as it went, before sinking in 10 feet (3.0 m) of water.[2]

Two passengers drowned. All other occupants escaped from the wreckage and were rescued by locals within thirty minutes.[2]

## Investigation

[edit]

Civil Aeronautics Board investigators examined the wreckage and determined that there had been no malfunction or failure of aircraft equipment. The condition of the wreckage indicated that the plane had first struck the water in a level bellyflop.[2]

The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that:

> Testimony of the flight personnel and the results of pilot check flights conducted by the CAB and company check pilots subsequent to the hearing revealed a definite lack of familiarity of some National Airlines' captains with the operating limitation of the Lodestar. Although legally qualified to pilot the aircraft, their proficiency was not in conformance with accepted standards. ... The company training program and training facilities were inadequate for the maintenance of sufficient competency of pilot personnel with respect to the Lockheed 18-50.

> — Civil Aeronautics Board, Docket #SA-108. File #3452-45[2]

Because of the captain's unfamiliarity with the aircraft specifications, he waited too long to commit himself to the go-around procedure, dooming the aircraft as immediate action was necessary. The CAB also determined that the pilot had available alternative procedures which would have enabled him to complete the maneuver safely. The cause of the crash was ultimately determined to be due to pilot error.[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on September 13, 2009.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Civil Aeronautics Board. Docket #SA-108. File #3452-45. July 9, 1946. profile PDF. United States Department of Commerce. Accessed online from a previous URL (http://ntl1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?browse&rn=327") on September 13, 2009.

## External links

[edit]

* Report of the Civil Aeronautics Board \- PDF.

* v
* t
* e

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1945 (1945)

Jan 8

China Clipper

Jan 10

American Airlines Flight 6001

Jan 31

Australian National Airways Stinson crash

Feb 1

Avro York crash

Feb 23

American Airlines Flight 009

Mar 5

Resko Przymorskie Dornier Do 24 crash

Mar 27

Liberator Commando disappearance

Apr 23

USAAF Boeing B-17 Isle of Man crash

Jul 12

Eastern Air Lines Flight 45

Jul 28

B-25 Empire State Building crash

Oct 5

Elvetham air crash

Oct 5

National Airlines Flight 16

Oct 12

Beiping C-46 crash

Nov 3

Honolulu Clipper forced landing

Nov 22

Broadway Liberator crash

Dec 6

Flight 19

1944  ◄ ► 1946

* v
* t
* e

Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1940s

1940|

* Lovettsville air disaster (August 1940)

1941|

* Eastern Air Lines Flight 21 (February 1941)
* Northwest Airlines Flight 5 (October 1941)

1942|

* TWA Flight 3 (January 1942)
* American Airlines Flight 28 (October 1942)

1943|

* Pan Am Flight 1104 (January 1943)
* American Airlines Flight 63 (Flagship Ohio) (July 1943)
* American Airlines Flight 63 (Flagship Missouri) (October 1943)
* Tamaqua, PA crash (November 1943)

1944|

* American Airlines Flight 2 (February 1944)
* TWA Flight 277 (June 1944)
* South Portland A-26 Invader crash (July 1944)

1945|

* American Airlines Flight 6001 (January 1945)
* Eastern Air Lines Flight 45 (July 1945)
* National Airlines Flight 16 (October 1945)

1946|

* Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 105 (January 1946)
* Mount Tom B-17 crash (July 9 1946)
* TWA Flight 513 (July 11 1946)

1947|

* United Air Lines Flight 521 (May 29 1947)
* Eastern Air Lines Flight 605 (May 30 1947)
* Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 410 (June 1947)
* United Air Lines Flight 608 (October 24 1947)
* Pan Am Flight 923 (October 26 1947)*

1948|

* Mantell UFO incident (January 7 1948)
* Los Gatos DC-3 crash (January 28 1948)
* Delta Air Lines Flight 705 (March 10 1948)
* Northwest Airlines Flight 4422 (March 12 1948)
* United Air Lines Flight 624 (June 1948)
* Lake Mead Boeing B-29 crash (July 1948)
* Northwest Airlines Flight 421 (August 1948)
* Georgia USAF Boeing B-29 crash (October 1948)
* Airborne Transport DC-3 disappearance (December 1948)

1949|

* Strato-Freight Curtiss C-46A crash (June 1949)
* Standard Air Lines Flight 897R (July 1949)
* Eastern Air Lines Flight 537 (November 1 1949)
* American Airlines Flight 157 (November 29 1949)

This list is incomplete.
An asterisk (*) denotes an incident that took place in a U.S. territory.

* v
* t
* e

National Airlines (1934–1980)

History|

| Accidents &
incidents|

* Flight 16 (1945)
* Flight 83 (1951)
* Flight 101 (1952)
* Flight 470 (1953)
* Flight 967 (1959)
* Flight 2511 (1960)
* Flight 27 (1973)
* Flight 193 (1978)

|

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