Aviation Accident Report: Braniff Airways Flight 2 and TWA Flight 6/Appendix A

APPENDIX A

I. Airway Weather Reports, U.S. Weather Bureau Airport Station, Wichita, Kansas

The following reports are taken from a copy of Form 1130-AER for June 1, 1941:

Regular Weather Report, Wichita, Kansas 1:35 a.m. CST	Classification contact. Ceiling 1800 feet, high overcast, lower broken clouds, pressure 1005.8 millibars, temperature 66, dewpoint 64, wind east southeast 26, altimeter 29.77, lightning in all quadrants.
Special Weather Report, Wichita, Kansas 2:10 a.m. CST	Classification contact. Ceiling estimated 6000 feet, high overcast, lower broken clouds, visibility 10 miles or better, mild thunderstorm, light rain showers, pressure 1006.1, temperature 66, dewpoint 64, wind southeast 33, altimeter setting 29.76, lightning in all quadrants.
Check Observation, Wichita, Kansas 2:20 a.m. CST	Classification contact. Ceiling estimated 6000 feet, high overcast, lower broken clouds, visibility 10 miles or better, mild thunderstorm, light rain showers, pressure 1006.1, temperature 66, dewpoint 64, wind southeast, 34, strong gusts, altimeter setting 29.74, lightning in all quadrants.
Special Weather Report, Wichita, Kansas 2:35 a.m. CST	Classification instruments. Ceiling estimated 1600 feet, high overcast, lower broken clouds, visibility 2 miles, mild thunderstorm, heavy rain showers, pressure 1006.1, temperature 64, dewpoint 64, wind southeast 30 strong gusts, altimeter setting 29.75, lightning in all quadrants.

 

II. U. S. Weather Bureau Forecasts Issued by The Airway Forecast Center at Kansas City, Missouri, Covering the Period From 10:30 p.m. CST, May 31 to 6:30 a.m. CST, June 1.

 

Wichita Terminal

Thunderstorms vicinity during period accompanied by broken to overcast, 3 to 5 thousand, visibility 6 miles or more, lowering in precipitation to 1 or 2 miles.

Airway Forecast Kansas City-Amarillo; Kansas City-Indianapolis; Kansas City-Chicago - 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. CST:

Thunderstorms Texas Panhandle northeastward through central Indiana locally severe eastern Kansas with thunderstorms ending eastern Missouri eastward through district by 0100 CST but continuing west in Missouri southwestward through district. Ceilings generally 3 to 5 thousand, visibility 1 to 3 miles accompanying thunderstorms except lowering to 1 to 2 thousand, visibility 1/2 mile in severe storms eastern Kansas. Very low stratus clouds forming northeastern Illinois, ceilings 2 to 4 hundred and visibility lowering 1 to 3 miles account fog by midnight lowering to near dense fog by 0300 CST. General fog forming southeastern Nebraska by midnight lowering visibility to 1 to 3 miles by 0200 CST and near zero after 0400 CST. Continuing CAVU eastern Oklahoma through northeastern Arkansas and after thunderstorms dissipate. Visibility outside precipitation and for areas generally unrestricted lowering visibility cities account smoke eastern portion district to 2 to 4 miles by 0300 CST.

 

III. Company Forecasts

 

1. The Braniff clearance form issued at Dallas contained the Weather Bureau forecasts issued at 10:30 p.m. CST, May 31, by the District Forecast Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

2. The TWA clearance form issued at Wichita contained the U. S. Weather Bureau forecasts issued at 4:30 p.m. CST, May 31, covering the period ending at 12:30 a.m. CST, June 1, and the forecasts issued at 10:30 p.m. CST covering the period ending 6:30 a.m. CST.

Attached to the TWA clearance was a TWA Airway and Terminal forecast issued by the Meteorological Department of TWA at Kansas City which gave as the terminal forecast for Wichita from 10 p.m., May 31, to 2:30 a.m., June 1: "High broken clouds".