76 Years ago today: On 3 October 1946 an American Overseas Douglas C-54 crashed near Stephenville, killing all 39 occupants
| Date: | Thursday 3 October 1946 |
| Time: | 05:03 |
| Type: | Douglas C-54E-5-DO (DC-4) |
| Operator: | American Overseas Airlines |
| Registration: | NC90904 |
| MSN: | 27290 |
| First flight: | 1945 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3731 |
| Engines: | 4 Pratt & Whitney R-2000-9 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 31 / Occupants: 31 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 39 / Occupants: 39 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 11,4 km (7.1 mls) NE of Stephenville-Harmon AAB, NL (YJT) ( |
| Crash site elevation: | 354 m (1161 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | Initial climb (ICL) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Stephenville Air Base, NL (YJT/CYJT), Canada |
| Destination airport: | Shannon Airport (SNN/EINN), Ireland |
Narrative:
The DC-4, named “Flagship New England”, departed New York-LaGuardia (LGA) at 12:14 on October 2, 1946 bound for Shannon (SNN), Ireland and Berlin, Germany. Prior to crossing the Atlantic, an intermediate stop was planned at Gander in Canada. Poor visibility at Gander forced the crew to land at their alternate, Stephenville-Harmon Field. The DC-4 arrived there at 16:30. In order to provide the necessary crew rest, a 12-hour stopover was made with a scheduled departure at 04:45. The flight was cleared to taxi to runway 30 for departure. As the wind appeared to be from 90 degrees at 9 kts, the tower operator advised the crew to taxi to runway 07 instead. At the time of the takeoff the ceiling was reported 5,000 feet, overcast; visibility 10 miles. Neither moon nor stars were visible through the overcast as the flight took off towards unlit terrain. It was general practice for flights using runway 07 to turn right immediately after takeoff to avoid rising terrain. After takeoff the DC-4 continued in a straight line and collided with a steep ridge at an elevation of 1160 feet, 7,1 miles past the runway.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: “The action of the pilot in maintaining the direction of take-off toward higher terrain over which adequate clearance could not be gained.”
