- 4 -
instrument and Douglas weight ratings, Turbyne continued serving as first officer for Panagra until the date of the subject accident. A survey of his training and experience shows that he was qualified to serve on the subject flight as first officer.
Flight Radio Operator Ewing held a radio telegraph second class license. He was employed by Panagra on May 17, 1942. Examination of his record shows him to have been competent to serve in this capacity.
History of the Flight
Trip No. 9 was cleared and departed from Santiago, Chile at 5:30 a.m, on January 22, 1943 with Lima, Peru as its destination. The flight proceeded without incident to Antofagasta and Arica, Chile, and thence to Arequipa, Peru, reaching the latter point at 1:59 p.m. It left Arequipa at 2:09 p. m. with the proper amount of fuel, and, at 2:25 p.m., Captain Gardner reported to Arequipa[1] that the flight was "leaving control zone[2] altitude 12,200, climbing on instruments, course 290." This report was made by radio telephone to Arequipa and because of the short range of the radio equipment on the aircraft, the message was not expected to be received at Lima. According to company procedure, the message was forwarded for the records to Lima, via air mail, the following day. Therefore, the flight dispatcher at Lima, who was supposed to control the flight, could not have been aware of the course the flight was pursuing. The two "estimated" position reports, sent by CW from Trip No. 9, as over Rio Siguas at 2:30 p.m., and Rio Ocono at 2:54 p.m. were received and logged by Panagra's ground stations at Arequipa, Pisco and Lima. Both of these position reports were estimated indicating that they were based on dead reckoning rather than actual observation of geographical
