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- At the time of the accident, TWA held a currently effective certificate of public convenience and necessity and an air carrier operating certificate authorizing it to conduct the flight.
- Captain Scott and First Officer DioGuardi were physically qualified and held proper certificates of competency to operate as air carrier pilots over the route between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri.
- Aircraft NC 17315 was currently certificated as airworthy at the time of the accident.
- Trip 6 was cleared in accordance with proper procedure from Kansas City, Missouri to St. Louis, Missouri.
- At the time of departure from Kansas City and at the time of the accident, the gross weight of the airplane did not exceed the permissible gross weight[1] and its load was properly distributed with reference to the location of the center of gravity.
- At the time of departure from Kansas City to St. Louis the airplane carried sufficient fuel to permit flight at normal cruising power to St. Louis and thereafter for about five hours, thus making available to Captain Scott a choice between a number of alternate airports.
- ↑ The "Standard gross weight" of an airplane is the maximum allowable gross weight for landing, while the "provisional gross weight" for an airplane is the maximum allowable gross weight for take-off. when an airplane takes off at its maximum provisional gross weight, the weight of the airplane is reduced by gasoline consumption at least to the standard gross weight for landing prior to arrival at its next scheduled stop. If sufficient gasoline has not been consumed between the time of take off and an emergency landing, gasoline can be dumped by the use of tested and approved dump valves in order to reduce the total weight to the approved gross weight for lending. At the time of the accident, the total weight of the airplane had been reduced, since its departure from Kansas City, by approximately 900 pounds.
