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]
 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 |
The flight
editThe 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
editThe 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
editActress 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
editDue 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]
See also
editReferences
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.