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Lovettsville air disaster: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 39°16′24″N 77°41′05″W / 39.27333°N 77.68472°W / 39.27333; -77.68472
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{{short description|1940 aviation accident}}
{{Infobox Airliner accident
{{Infobox Airliner accident
| name=Lovettsville air disaster
| name=Lovettsville air disaster
| Crash image=
| Crash image=Douglas DC-3, SE-CFP.jpg
| Image caption=
| Image caption=A DC-3 similar to the accident aircraft
| Date=August 31, 1940 14:41
| Date=August 31, 1940
| Type=Lightning strike (probable)
| Type=Lightning strike (probable)
| occurrence_type = Accident
| occurrence_type = Accident
| Site=near [[Short Hill Mountain]], [[Lovettsville, Virginia]]
| Site=Near [[Short Hill Mountain]], [[Lovettsville, Virginia]]
| coordinates = {{coord|39|16|24|N|77|41|05|W|region:US-VA_type:event|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|39|16|24|N|77|41|05|W|region:US-VA_type:event|display=inline,title}}
| Fatalities=25 (all)
| Fatalities=25
| Injuries=
| Injuries=
| Aircraft Type=[[Douglas DC-3]]
| Aircraft Type=[[Douglas DC-3]]
| Operator=[[Capital Airlines|Pennsylvania Central Airlines]]
| Operator=[[Capital Airlines (United States)|Pennsylvania Central Airlines]]
| Tail Number=NC21789
| Tail Number=NC21789
| Passengers=21
| Passengers=21
| Crew=4
| Crew=4
| Survivors=0
| Survivors=0
| Origin=[[Washington, DC]]
| Origin=[[Washington, D.C.]]
| Stopover=[[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]
| Stopover=[[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]
| Destination=[[Detroit, Michigan]]
| Destination=[[Detroit, Michigan]]
}}
}}
⚫
The '''Lovettsville air disaster''' occurred on August 31, 1940 near [[Lovettsville, Virginia]]. [[Capital Airlines|Pennsylvania Central Airlines]] Trip 19 was a new [[Douglas DC-3|Douglas DC-3A]] that was flying through an intense thunderstorm at {{convert|6000|ft|m}}. Numerous witnesses reported seeing a large flash of lightning shortly before it nosed over and plunged to earth in an [[alfalfa]] field. With limited accident investigation tools at the time, it was at first believed that the most likely cause was the plane flying into windshear, but the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] report concluded that the probable cause was a lightning strike.<ref name="CABReport"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Causes of U.S. accidents |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1940/1940%20-%203661.html?search=Lovettsville |format=PDF |publisher=Flight |date=December 19, 1940 |pages=529}}</ref> U.S. Senator [[Ernest Lundeen]] from [[Minnesota]] was one of the 25 people (21 passengers and 4 crew members) killed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Death in the Blue Ridge |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,764600,00.html |work=Time |publisher= |id= |pages= |page= |date=1940-09-09 |accessdate=2009-04-14 |quote=The news of the worst crash in the history of U. S. aviation ended 17 months of safe operation. }}</ref><ref>[http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1940/1940-14.htm] PlaneCrashInfo</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Louiville, VA Air Disaster, GenDisasters.com |url=http://www3.gendisasters.com/virginia/2406/lovettsville-va-air-disaster-aug-1940}}</ref>


⚫
On August 31, 1940, [[Capital Airlines (United States)|Pennsylvania Central Airlines]] '''Trip 19''', a new [[Douglas DC-3|Douglas DC-3A]], was flying from Washington, D.C. to Detroit with a stopover in Pittsburgh. While the aircraft was flying near [[Lovettsville, Virginia]] at {{convert|6000|ft|m}} and approaching the West Virginia border, Trip 19 encountered an intense thunderstorm. Numerous witnesses reported seeing a large flash of lightning shortly before it nosed over and plunged to earth in an [[alfalfa]] field. With limited accident investigation tools at the time, it was at first believed that the most likely cause was the plane flying into windshear, but the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] report concluded that the probable cause was a lightning strike.<ref name="CABReport"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Causes of U.S. accidents |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1940/1940%20-%203661.html?search=Lovettsville |format=PDF |publisher=Flight |date=December 19, 1940 |pages=529}}</ref> U.S. Senator [[Ernest Lundeen]] was among the 21 passengers and 4 crew members killed.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Death in the Blue Ridge |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,764600,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930141851/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,764600,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |magazine=Time |date=1940-09-09 |accessdate=2009-04-14 |quote=The news of the worst crash in the history of U. S. aviation ended 17 months of safe operation. }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1940/1940-14.htm |title=Accident Details |work=planecrashinfo.com |accessdate=July 5, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.gendisasters.com/virginia/2406/lovettsville-va-air-disaster-aug-1940 |title=Lovettsville, VA Air Disaster, Aug 1940 |work=gendisasters.com |last=Beitler |first=Stu |accessdate=July 5, 2017 |archive-date=May 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510092957/http://www.gendisasters.com/virginia/2406/lovettsville-va-air-disaster-aug-1940 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
⚫
"Trip 19", as it was designated, was under the command of Captain Lowell V. Scroggins with First Officer J. Paul Moore. The pilot and copilot had over eleven thousand and six thousand hours experience respectively, although only a few hundred were on DC-3s. In the [[jump seat]] rode a new administrative employee of the airline, hired on August 26.<ref name="CABReport" />
Also on board were "a Special Agent of the [[FBI]], a second FBI employee, and a prosecutor from the Criminal Division of the [[United States Department of Justice|U.S. Department of Justice]]." At the time of the crash, the FBI was investigating Sen. Lundeen's ties to [[George Sylvester Viereck]], a top Nazi spy working in the US to spread pro-Hitler and anti-Semitic propaganda.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra; Episode 1: Trip 19|website=[[MSNBC]] |date=10 October 2022 |url=https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-podcast/rachel-maddow-presents-ultra/transcript-trip-19-n1299418}}</ref>


The crash occurred during a severe rainstorm, and recovery efforts were hindered by impassable flooded roads and poor communications: the crash cut the only [[telephone]] lines in the area. Wreckage was scattered over a broad area, and it is believed that all aircraft occupants died instantly on impact. At the time, the crash was the deadliest disaster in the history of U.S. commercial aviation.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=25 Killed as Airliner Crashes, Explodes in Worst Disaster of Aviation History |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AMNEWS&req_dat=1000BC63AFF86032&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A0F99DDB671832188%2540EANX-NB-103384CFE9EBC48A%25402429874-103384D004ECB4C1%25406-103384D1F6FBE12A%254025%252BKilled%252Bas%252BAirliner%252BCrashes%25252C%252BExplodes%252Bin%252BWorst%252BDisaster%252Bof%252BAviation%252BHistory/hlterms%3A%2522central%2520airlines%2522 |work=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |location=Dallas, Texas |agency=Associated Press |date=September 1, 1940 |access-date=November 5, 2019}}</ref>
⚫
The DC-3A was newly delivered from the [[Douglas Aircraft]] on May 25, 1940 equipped with twin [[Curtiss-Wright]] [[Wright_Cyclone#R-1820 Cyclone 9|R-1820 Cyclone 9]] engines (also designated as G-102-A).<ref name="CABReport" />


⚫
"Trip 19", as it was designated, was under the command of Captain Lowell V. Scroggins with First Officer J. Paul Moore. The pilot and copilot had over eleven thousand and six thousand hours experience respectively, although only a few hundred of those hours were on DC-3s. The aircraft was carrying 21 revenue passengers, a single [[flight attendant]], and a [[Deadheading (employee)|deadheading]] airline manager riding in the jump seat in the cockpit.<ref name="CABReport" />
⚫
The CAB investigation of the accident was the first major investigation to be conducted under the [[Bureau of Air Commerce]] act of 1938.<ref name="CABReport">{{cite web|url=http://www.baesel.net/capaccidents/1940.08.31_PennsylvaniaCentralAirlinesCorp_DouglasDC-3-A.pdf|title=Report of the Civil Aeronautics Board|publisher=[[Civil Aeronautics Board]]|accessdate=2009-04-15}} ([http://www.webcitation.org/6SbhQHMNH Archive])</ref>

⚫
The DC-3A was newly delivered from [[Douglas Aircraft]] on May 25, 1940, equipped with twin [[Curtiss-Wright]] [[Wright Cyclone#R-1820 Cyclone 9|R-1820 Cyclone 9]] engines (also designated as G-102-A).<ref name="CABReport" />

⚫
The CAB investigation of the accident was the first major investigation to be conducted under the [[Bureau of Air Commerce]] act of 1938.<ref name="CABReport">{{cite web|url=http://www.baesel.net/capaccidents/1940.08.31_PennsylvaniaCentralAirlinesCorp_DouglasDC-3-A.pdf |title=Report of the Civil Aeronautics Board |publisher=[[Civil Aeronautics Board]] |accessdate=2009-04-15 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020122846/http://www.baesel.net/capaccidents/1940.08.31_PennsylvaniaCentralAirlinesCorp_DouglasDC-3-A.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-20 }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Wikisource|Aviation Accident Report: Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 19|Accident Investigation Report: Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 19}}
<references/>
<references/>

==External links==
* [https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33015 Accident report] – [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] ([https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33015/dot_33015_DS1.pdf PDF])


{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1940}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1940}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 1940s}}
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by weather]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by weather]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents in Virginia]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents in Virginia]]
Line 38: Line 48:
[[Category:Loudoun County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Loudoun County, Virginia]]
[[Category:1940 in Virginia]]
[[Category:1940 in Virginia]]
[[Category:Capital Airlines accidents and incidents]]
[[Category:Capital Airlines (United States) accidents and incidents]]
[[Category:1940 meteorology]]
[[Category:1940 meteorology]]
[[Category:August 1940 events in the United States]]

Latest revision as of 15:14, 31 August 2024

Lovettsville air disaster
A DC-3 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
DateAugust 31, 1940
SummaryLightning strike (probable)
SiteNear Short Hill Mountain, Lovettsville, Virginia
39°16′24″N 77°41′05″W / 39.27333°N 77.68472°W / 39.27333; -77.68472
Aircraft typeDouglas DC-3
OperatorPennsylvania Central Airlines
RegistrationNC21789
Flight originWashington, D.C.
StopoverPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DestinationDetroit, Michigan
Passengers21
Crew4
Fatalities25
Survivors0

On August 31, 1940, Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19, a new Douglas DC-3A, was flying from Washington, D.C. to Detroit with a stopover in Pittsburgh. While the aircraft was flying near Lovettsville, Virginia at 6,000 feet (1,800 m) and approaching the West Virginia border, Trip 19 encountered an intense thunderstorm. Numerous witnesses reported seeing a large flash of lightning shortly before it nosed over and plunged to earth in an alfalfa field. With limited accident investigation tools at the time, it was at first believed that the most likely cause was the plane flying into windshear, but the Civil Aeronautics Board report concluded that the probable cause was a lightning strike.[1][2] U.S. Senator Ernest Lundeen was among the 21 passengers and 4 crew members killed.[3][4][5] Also on board were "a Special Agent of the FBI, a second FBI employee, and a prosecutor from the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice." At the time of the crash, the FBI was investigating Sen. Lundeen's ties to George Sylvester Viereck, a top Nazi spy working in the US to spread pro-Hitler and anti-Semitic propaganda.[6]

The crash occurred during a severe rainstorm, and recovery efforts were hindered by impassable flooded roads and poor communications: the crash cut the only telephone lines in the area. Wreckage was scattered over a broad area, and it is believed that all aircraft occupants died instantly on impact. At the time, the crash was the deadliest disaster in the history of U.S. commercial aviation.[7]

"Trip 19", as it was designated, was under the command of Captain Lowell V. Scroggins with First Officer J. Paul Moore. The pilot and copilot had over eleven thousand and six thousand hours experience respectively, although only a few hundred of those hours were on DC-3s. The aircraft was carrying 21 revenue passengers, a single flight attendant, and a deadheading airline manager riding in the jump seat in the cockpit.[1]

The DC-3A was newly delivered from Douglas Aircraft on May 25, 1940, equipped with twin Curtiss-Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 engines (also designated as G-102-A).[1]

The CAB investigation of the accident was the first major investigation to be conducted under the Bureau of Air Commerce act of 1938.[1]

References

[edit]
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
  1. ^ a b c d "Report of the Civil Aeronautics Board" (PDF). Civil Aeronautics Board. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  2. ^ "Causes of U.S. accidents" (PDF). Flight. December 19, 1940. p. 529.
  3. ^ "Death in the Blue Ridge". Time. 1940-09-09. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2009-04-14. The news of the worst crash in the history of U. S. aviation ended 17 months of safe operation.
  4. ^ "Accident Details". planecrashinfo.com. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  5. ^ Beitler, Stu. "Lovettsville, VA Air Disaster, Aug 1940". gendisasters.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  6. ^ "Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra; Episode 1: Trip 19". MSNBC. 10 October 2022.
  7. ^ "25 Killed as Airliner Crashes, Explodes in Worst Disaster of Aviation History". The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas. Associated Press. September 1, 1940. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
[edit]
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