CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT
CAPITAL AIRLINES, DC-3, N M993,
CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA,
AUGUST 26, 1959
SYNOPSIS
On August 26, 1959, at 2120 e.s.t. a Capital Airlines 113—3, N 44993, veered off the runway and crashed down a steep slope while attempting a landing at the Kanawha County Airport, Charleston, West Virginia. The aircraft received major damage but no fire occurred. None of the 15 passengers or 3 crew members aboard was injured.
Trip 587 operated normally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the Charleston area and was cleared for a landing on runway 23. The copilot, who was flying the aircraft, made the approach. The aircraft bounced after first contact with the runway, continued straight for a short distance, and then veered to the left off the runway. It crossed one sod strip, a taxiway, a second sod strip, and then plunged over a steep embankment coming to rest in a ravine approximately 50 feet below the runway level.
This accident occurred as a result of a poorly executed landing. The initial touchdown was hard and the aircraft bounced. Following the bounce the copilot lost directional control of the airplane and it began to veer off the runway. Corrective action initiated by the captain did not prevent the airplane from going over the embankment.
Investigation
Flight 587 is a regular flight originating at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and terminating at Charleston, West Virginia, with one intermediate stop at Wheeling, West Virginia. The crew for the trip of August 26, 1959, consisted of Captain Merle W. Black, Copilot David C. Walchli, and Hostess Irmgard Harms.
Routine preparations for the flight were made at Pittsburgh. It was conducted under an IFR (instrument flight rules) flight plan and clearance. The trip, including the en route stop at Wheeling, proceeded uneventfully and it arrived in the Charleston area on time.
The copilot, in the right seat, was handling the flight controls on the segment from Wheeling to Charleston. On arrival in the Charleston area, he received permission from Captain Black to make a practice ILS approach and proceeded to do so. Mr. Walchli stated that the approach was normal. He said
