Standard Air Lines Flight 897R

Standard Air Lines Flight 897R
	Aerial photo of the crash (visible upper center) with rescue operations in progress
Accident
Date	July 12, 1949
Summary	Pilot error, CFIT
Site	Chatsworth, California, United States
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Curtiss C-46E Commando
Operator	Standard Air Lines
Registration	N79978
Flight origin	Albuquerque Municipal Airport
Destination	Burbank Airport
Passengers	44
Crew	4
Fatalities	35
Survivors	13

Standard Air Lines Flight 897R was a domestic passenger flight between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Burbank, California. At 7:43am on July 12, 1949, the flight, operated by a Curtiss C-46E (registered N79978^[1]), crashed in Chatsworth, California, upon approach to Burbank, killing 35 of the 48 passengers and crew on board.^[2]^[3]

The flight[edit]

The Standard Air Lines flight departed from Albuquerque Municipal Airport at 4:24am for a flight to the Hollywood-Lockheed Air Terminal (today called Burbank Airport). At 7:36am the aircraft was cleared to land at Burbank.^[4] After that, there was no other communication from the flight.

Crash[edit]

The aircraft was flying in level flight with the gear down, on an ILS approach to Hollywood-Lockheed Air Terminal (today called Burbank Airport) on a Tuesday morning. The aircraft descended in patchy fog below the minimum altitude permitted and its right wing tip struck the side of a hill at 1,890 feet above sea level, pulling the plane around 90 degrees. The C-46 hit the ground and bounced 300 feet into the air before crashing in Chatsworth, CA, some 430 feet below the crest of Santa Susana Pass, just north of the Chatsworth Reservoir.

It was originally reported that a fist fight had broken out between two male passengers, however survivors later stated that the fight was not the cause of the crash but instead it was based on pilot error.^[5] The CAB report stated, "This accident was caused solely by the pilot voluntarily going below the prescribed minimum altitude and descending into the overcast...".^[6]

Survivors[edit]

Actress Caren Marsh Doll was among the survivors of the crash.^[7] She recalled "I heard screams and a fire crackling....Then I remember a woman grabbed my arm. She was wonderful. I heard her say 'Let's get out of here'. She dragged me out of the plane and into the brush."^[5] Members of the religious cult WKFL, led by Krishna Venta, were involved in the rescue operations, giving them national prominence.^[8]

Aftermath[edit]

Due to regulation violations, Standard Air Lines was ordered to cease non-scheduled operations, and it merged with Viking Air Lines to form North American Airlines shortly afterwards.^[9]

References[edit]

^ "FAA Registry (N79978)". Federal Aviation Administration.
^ "Accident details from planecrashinfo.com". Retrieved 2013-09-13.
^ "ASN Aircraft accident Curtiss C-46E-1-CS Commando N79978 Chatsworth, CA". Retrieved 2013-09-13.
^ Macha, G. Pat (2014). Historic Aircraft Wrecks of Los Angeles County. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 978-1540210722.
^ ^a ^b Times, Los Angeles (2011-01-26). "Remnants of a deadly crash". Framework. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
^ Wilson, Harland (September 1950). "The Fatal Altimeter". Flying Magazine: 18–21.
^ "Biography for Caren Marsh at IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
^ Matthew, Duersten (2018-12-10). "The Bizarre Story Behind The Suicide Bombing Of A SoCal Cult". LAist. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
^ "Standard Air Lines Curtiss C-46". Retrieved 2013-09-13.

External links[edit]

Report from the Civil Aeronautics Board (PDF)
http://planecrashinfo.com/1949/1949-32.htm
Night photo of aircraft
Photo of aircraft
Photo of crash from L.A. Times archive
Image of men searching the wreckage of Standard Airlines C-46 for clues regarding the cause of the crash, 1949. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

34°15′30″N 118°38′15″W / 34.2583°N 118.6375°W / 34.2583; -118.6375

[1] "FAA Registry (N79978)". Federal Aviation Administration.

[2] "Accident details from planecrashinfo.com". Retrieved 2013-09-13.

[3] "ASN Aircraft accident Curtiss C-46E-1-CS Commando N79978 Chatsworth, CA". Retrieved 2013-09-13.

[4] Macha, G. Pat (2014). Historic Aircraft Wrecks of Los Angeles County. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 978-1540210722.

[:0-5] Times, Los Angeles (2011-01-26). "Remnants of a deadly crash". Framework. Retrieved 2018-07-16.

[6] Wilson, Harland (September 1950). "The Fatal Altimeter". Flying Magazine: 18–21.

[7] "Biography for Caren Marsh at IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 2013-09-13.

[8] Matthew, Duersten (2018-12-10). "The Bizarre Story Behind The Suicide Bombing Of A SoCal Cult". LAist. Retrieved 2023-08-28.

[9] "Standard Air Lines Curtiss C-46". Retrieved 2013-09-13.

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v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1940s
1940	Lovettsville air disaster
1941	Eastern Air Lines Flight 21 Northwest Airlines Flight 5
1942	TWA Flight 3 American Airlines Flight 28
1943	Pan Am Flight 1104 American Airlines Flight 63 (Flagship Ohio) American Airlines Flight 63 (Flagship Missouri) Tamaqua, PA crash
1944	American Airlines Flight 2 TWA Flight 277 South Portland A-26 Invader crash
1945	American Airlines Flight 6001 Eastern Air Lines Flight 45 National Airlines Flight 16
1946	Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 105 Mount Tom B-17 crash TWA Flight 513
1947	United Air Lines Flight 521 Eastern Air Lines Flight 605 Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 410 United Air Lines Flight 608 Pan Am Flight 923
1948	Mantell UFO incident Los Gatos DC-3 crash Delta Air Lines Flight 705 Northwest Airlines Flight 4422 United Air Lines Flight 624 Lake Mead Boeing B-29 crash Northwest Airlines Flight 421 Georgia USAF Boeing B-29 crash Airborne Transport DC-3 disappearance
1949	Strato-Freight Curtiss C-46A crash Standard Air Lines Flight 897R Eastern Air Lines Flight 537 American Airlines Flight 157
This list is incomplete.