Flying Tiger Line Flight 282
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| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 23, 1964 |
| Summary | Pilot error |
| Site | San Bruno, California, USA |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Injuries | - |
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On Wednesday, December 23rd, 1964, a Flying Tiger Line Constellation, N6915C, arrived at San Francisco International Airport from Japan. Filled with a cargo of electronic equipment, bolts of fabric, women's scarves, bandanas, purses, and costume jewelry for the Christmas holiday, she refueled at San Francisco Airport (SFO) and departed just after midnight with her crew of three, 41,000 pounds of cargo, 136 pounds of mail, and 5,000 gallons of high octane aviation fuel.
The weather was that of heavy fog and rain. A large cold frontal system was moving onshore, and on the north coast of California, heavy flooding was destroying homes at a wholesale pace. Already a Coast Guard helicopter had been lost in these conditions.
Leaving from Runway 28, going northwest from the bay, flight 282 was heading out over the ocean to circle and gain altitude then travel east towards to her final destination of New York. However, shortly after takeoff, the plane veered to the right of it's planned course. The pilot, Jabez A. Richards, 49, of Bayhead, NJ, asked the tower for permission to change his radio frequency from takeoff to departure frequency. With him were Daniel W. Hennessy, 33, of Hillsborough, Calif., as co-pilot, and Paul M. Entz,37, of North Hollywood, Calif., as flight engineer. Seconds later, the plane vanished from the tower's radar scope.
The "Super Connie" crashed in Sweeny Ridge, the site of Coast Guard Radio Station San Bruno, killing all three aboard. Luckily, no one on the ground was killed or injured.
The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was that the pilot, for undetermined reasons, deviated from departure course into an area of rising terrain where downdraft activity and turbulence affected the climb capability of the aircraft sufficiently to prevent terrain clearance.
External Link
The Crash of Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 - Yesterday & Today