REPORT OF THE CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD
of the
Investigation of an Accident Involving Aircraft in
Scheduled Air Carrier Operation
A Lockheed, Model 18-08 (Lodestar), NC 25632, owned and operated by United Air Lines Transport Corporation, was slightly damaged in an accident which occurred near Newhall, California, on January 5, 1941, about 9:30 a.m. The crew, consisting of Captain William E. Davis, First Officer Berkeley Brandt, Jr., and Stewardess Frances M. Litaker, was not injured. Captain Davis held an airline transport certificate with a Class 4M Land rating and had accumulated about 5000 flying hours. First Officer Brandt held a commercial pilot certificate and had flown about 1500 hours. There were no passengers aboard.
United Air Lines Trip 26 departed Oakland, California, at 7:35 a.m. for Burbank, California, with intermediate stops scheduled at San Francisco, Fresno, and Bakersfield, California. The trip was cleared for instrument and/or over the top flight to Burbank, with instrument let-down procedure approved at Burbank. The weather en route was entirely favorable for this type flight. Due to the fact that there were no passengers, mail, or cargo to be taken on or off at any of the intermediate stops, such stops were cancelled while en route. The flight arrived over Bakersfield, which is approximately 92 miles from Burbank, at an altitude of 8000 feet, on top of the overcast, at 9:02 a.m. Shortly after passing over Bakersfield, Captain Davis changed his flight plan and climbed to 10,000 feet, requesting authorization for this change. About ten minutes later, Airway Traffic Control instructed Trip 26, through the company radio, to remain at 8000 feet. The captain stated that at the time this message was received he had just passed the Lebec Marker and was in position to begin his descent to Burbank. The then informed Burbank that he planned to begin the descent at a rate which would place him over Newhall at 6500 feet according to company procedure.
At 9:23 a.m. the captain received a message from Airway Traffic Control clearing Trip 26 from Newhall to the Burbank Tower and advising the trip to use Standard Instrument Approach.[1] At 9:23 Davis advised Burbank that he was over Newhall, on top, at 6500 feet, and asked for continuous localizer operation. Burbank acknowledged the message and sent it to Airway Traffic Control. The evidence indicates that Captain Davis then asked the dispatcher in Burbank for information regarding the weather and that they discussed weather conditions over the two-way radio at some length. While talking to the dispatcher, Captain Davis made a right turn to approximately 160 degrees, throttled the engines, extended the landing gear, and started descending at a rate between 700 and 800 feet per minute, in an effort to reach 4500 feet as soon as possible, to avoid being too high over the Burbank localizer. The turn to 160 degrees, rather than to the customary direction of 140 degrees, was made to offset
- ↑ Approach and landing procedure when low ceilings and visibility exist is as follows: Pilots will maintain an altitude of not less than 4500 feet sea level pending definite location of the Saugus radio range station. Planes arriving from the north will follow the Saugus range.
