Publisher's Synopsis
This book gives you a close look at the people, places, conditions, crew, and individual DC-4 aircraft that wound up in trouble.
This accumulated study of DC-4 accidents, from official accident investigations, takes you back to the scene of all of these accidents with transcripts, charts, and diagrams. This is the only document that I have ever seen that accumulates all of the official investigations about DC-4 accidents into one document and provides you with an extreme level of detail about each accident. Some of the Strange DC-4 Accident Stories Inside Excerpt One: On impact, the cargo broke loose and came forward, trapping First Officer Gin and Copilot Hightower, who was sitting in the radio operator's seat. Navigator Olsen opened the astrodome while Captain Machado assisted the two trapped crew members from their seats. The four men left the aircraft through the astrodome. Navigator Ventresca had been in the cargo compartment unsuccessfully attempting to jettison the bulky cargo. Before the cabin door could be opened by the crew members who were on top of the fuselage, the aircraft sank. Three of the remaining crew members had life jackets on. Still, Captain Machado could not locate his jacket and states he had none until after First Officer Gin and Navigator Olsen died in the water during the more than 30 hours awaiting rescue. In addition to the injuries received at impact, both survivors were bitten repeatedly by sharks during their many hours in the water. Excerpt Two: Captain Beck then attempted to return the elevator trim tab control to its former position. Before he could accomplish this, the aircraft pitched downward violently, executing part of an outside loop and actually becoming inverted. Captain Beck and Sisto, who did not have their seat belts fastened, were thrown to the top of the cockpit and accidentally struck the feathering control, thereby feathering propellers 1, 2, and 4. Captain Logan, who did have his seat belt fastened and remained in his seat, managed to roll the aircraft out of its inverted position and regained control 300 to 400 feet above the ground. Those passengers who did not have their seat belts fastened were thrown about the inside of the cabin and received minor injuries. Included Airlines Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, American Overseas Airline, Braniff Airlines, California Eastern Airways, Chicago and Southern Airlines, Compania Cubana De Aviacion, DC-4, Delta Airlines, Eastern Airlines, Flying Tigers Great Lake Airlines, National Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Overseas National Airways, Pan American Airways, Peninsular Air Transport, Pennsylvania Central Airlines, Transcontinental and Western Air Transocean Air Lines, U.S. Overseas Airlines, United Airlines
