BCPA Flight 304
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | October 29 1953 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Corte Madera Canyon |
| Aircraft type | DC-6B |
| Operator | British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines |
| Registration | VH-BPE |
| Passengers | 11 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 19 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines (BCPA) Flight 304 was a Douglas DC-6B, named Resolution and registered VH-BPE, on a flight from Sydney to San Francisco, with scheduled stops at Nadi (Fiji), Canton Island, and Honolulu. It crashed during its initial approach towards San Francisco International Airport on October 29, 1953, killing all 19 people on board, including the American pianist William Kapell.
The four engined Douglas DC-6B airliner, a luxurious craft fitted with sleeping arrangements, similar to Pullman style with a mini porthole window bedside (even with bundling boards between those couples not related) was flying the Honolulu - San Francisco leg with a crew of 8 and 11 passengers. Captain Bruce N. Dickson (34) of Cronulla, near Sydney and his crew took over the plane in Honolulu as scheduled. The estimated flying time was 9 hours and 25 minutes. The air fare at the time was about $1,000, as it still is today...but in dollars currently, that translates into $10,000 and thus flying in such style was somewhat limited to business folk, celebrities and government officials. Dickson and his First Officer, Frank A. Campbell (28) of Epping, NSW, each had several thousand hours of flight time in a DC-6. Both pilots had made more than 100 approaches into San Francisco Airport. The weather in the San Francisco area presented no adverse flight conditions; however, visual reference with the ground was precluded by the overcast foggy conditions and an instrument approach was required.
Crash
As the flight neared the California coast, Captain Dickson contacted San Francisco Air Route Traffic Control, ARTC. At 8:07 a.m., he was cleared to descend in accordance with Visual Flight Rules and to maintain at least 500 feet (150 m) above all clouds, which Dickson acknowledged. At 8:15 a.m., Flight 304 reported that it was starting to descend and at that time was given the San Francisco weather report. At 8:39 a.m., the flight called San Francisco Approach Control and advised that it was over Half Moon Bay, 500 feet (150 m) above the clouds. In fact Flight 304 was several miles south of there. At approximately 8:42 a.m., the flight reported “Southeast, turning inbound”. At 8:44 a.m. the plane crashed into a ridge near Kings Mountain at an altitude of 1,950 feet (590 m) burying its nose three (3)feet into the canyon wall and broke up, scattering the wreckage over a half-mile area in Corte Madera Canyon. Impact and the subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft. At 8:45 a.m., a call to the flight was unanswered as were all subsequent calls.
Investigation
The Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the accident. Weather above and below the fog belt was clear, and visibility was good in the instrument approach area and at the airport itself. The fact that ground visibility was obscured by fog necessitated an instrument approach. It was determined that the plane was not where the pilot said it was, despite acknowledgment and the position repeated back. The official probable cause of the crash was the failure of the crew to follow prescribed procedures for an instrument approach.
This was the first time that dental records were used to identify some of those killed. Remains were transported to a make shift morgue at the Redwood City Armory. Once identified, cremation was carried out and ashes were returned to relatives in due time.
Resolution Trail
Today, the crash site is part of the "El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve", which includes the "Resolution Trail", named for the plane. It is strange that no plaque or marker recalls the historic crash and the death of those aboard. Park rules restrict visitors to the trail and all pieces of wreckage are to remain on-site being looked upon as historic artifacts.
External links
- Check-Six.com - The Crash of BCPA Flight 304 - Includes full crew & passenger list
- Civil Aeronautics Board's Accident Investigation Report from 1954 - PDF 577 KB
- flightoftheresolution.org - Flight 304 history, photographs, memorial information
- Aviation Safety Network incident summary
- Recent photos of the crash site
- Photo gallery of a recent visit to the crash site of BCPA Flight 304
- Aircraft Crashes Record Office
- El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve (use this alternate link if direct link does not work)