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The plane was held on the ground at-St. Joseph from 7:10 p.m. until 10:27 p.m., pending more favorable weather reports ahead. At 10:15 p.m., after a study of available reports from Omaha and Tarkio, a point approximately midway between Kansas City and Omaha, Pilot Bontrager decided to take off, check conditions along the route and if too unfavorable, return to St. Joseph. The actual take off from St. Joseph was made at about 10:2? p.m. and the accident occurred approximately fourteen minutes later.
Our investigation indicates that Pilot Bontrager was proceeding at a low altitude, doing visual beacon to beacon contact flying. Shortly after passing No. 6 beacon on the Kansas City—Omaha route, he suddenly encountered a torrential downpour of rain and attempted to make a turn to return to St. Joseph. At this point it can be seen where the plane first struck a group of trees and than collided head-on into a road bank while still making the turn. Fire followed immediately. The ground at this point is considerably higher than at St. Joseph and an examination of the wreckage and the adjacent territory suggests strongly that, due to the combination of darkness and blinding rain, the pilot had no idea of his nearness to the ground. Unquestionably, everyone on board wae killed by the force of impact and a watch recovered from the wreckage fixed the time of the accident at 10:41 p.m.
The Board finds that the probable causes of this accident were:
1. Dangerous and unusual weather conditions encountered.
2. That the pilot committed an error of judgment in taking off in the face of dangerous and threatening weather, about which he did not have sufficient information.
3. That the ground control of operations was inadequate to meet the emergency created by this unusual weather.
Eugene L. Vidal,
Director of Air Commerce
8906
