In December of 1936, the first 3 planes landed at what would become the Danville airport. One was piloted by John Morris of the state WPA, one by Dr. Howard Foss who was instrumental not only in helping to build Geisinger, but also in getting the airport built, and the third was a small plane from Williamsport. The airport was not completed at that time, there was still no well, nor electric.
The Danville Airport was Dedicated on May 19th 1938
The Danville Airport is located not in Danville, but in Riverside, Northumberland County Pa. [Danville is in Montour County].
The site was chosen in February of 1934 - a 45 acre field on the farm of George Campbell. An attempt had been made to find property in Montour County, but the nearest available ground was in Washingtonville, at the time. Although the chosen site was in a different county, it was only a five minute drive from downtown Danville.
Building the airport was in part, a WPA project.
Aerial View, 1937
The site was also in direct line of "the United Airlines Lane, which fly passenger planes between Los Angeles and New York City". The Danville News reported tat 22 air planes were flying over the field daily, in 1934.
A special "Cachet" was designed for all air mail letters, to be sent from Danville on May 19th, when the first air mail plane would "swoop down upon the field for it's cargo of mail"
The cachet included mention of the first T-Rail in the world being rolled at Danville in 1845
At the grand opening event, a banquet was held in the hangar. Foss spoke about the history of Air Mail in America.
Seven instructors at the airport taught Army and Navy pilots how to fly, through 1945. The cadets were houses at the armory.
During the flood of 1946, airplanes from the Sunbury and Bloomsburg airports were flown to Danville, "the only field high and dry from swollen waters." Nineteen planes in total were there that May - 12 from Sunbury and Bloomsburg, and 7 that were "Danville Airport's regular complement." Fourteen of the planes were stored in the haner, the rest were safely anchored.
Civil Air Patrol At Danville Airport, 1959
On August 22-23rd 1959, 125 Civil Air Patrol Cadets took part in "Operation Deep Dark", a training exercise, at the Danville Airport.
Two ranger squadrons from Philadelphia, one from Northumberland, one from Ashland, and one from Harrisburg participated. "The Rangers were the part of the Civil Air Patrol charged with the rescue of downed airmen."
Civil Air Patrol at the Danville Airport, 1977
Civil Air Patrol Encampment at the Danville Airport, 1977
In June of 1946, two young pilots, were critically injured when the cub trainer they wee flying crashed in a field near snydertown. James Beaver & John Enterline Jr both held private licenses, having recently taken tests at the Danville Airport.
This was only the 3rd accident from the airport, since it had been built, and it was the first involving an airport owned plane. In 1940 George Cooke and Fred Dalibreda were injured when their plane "cracked up" at Catawissa. In 1942, Joseph Harper of Shamokin was killed when his plane crashed in Paxinos.
1960, Ken Burrows Manager of Airport
1987 - Mechanic Joe Fox
Ken Burrows, Taking a flying lesson - 1987
In 2000, the airport acquired 26 additional acres and built a 3,000 foot paved runway, which was a benefit for Geisinger and Merck. Prior to that, only small planes could land on the grass runway.
2005 - New Hangar being constructed
Today the airport is owned by the Montour and Northumberland Commissioners. It covers 114 acres, and includes an asphalt runway with lights. Flying lessons are available on site, and private planes are housed on the ground. Geisinger's Life Flight Pilots practice at the airport.
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Joe Morrall & Ken Burrows at the Danville Airport
On September 27th 1932: For the first time in the history of Danville High School, a plane was used to advertise one of its activities, when Joe Morrall circled over Danville and strewed announcements of the opening football contest under the flood lights at the Rotary Field. The first night game was played against Lewisburg High School.
Cleo Francois Pineau, a motorcycle racer and World War I flying ace, was instrumental in founding the Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport, and fostered it through his connections in the aviation community, including a friendship with Wiley Post
Sometimes, when researching history, I get caught up in the wrong tangents.
For years, I've been trying to figure out the time line of Amelia Earhart's visit to Williamsport for the Grand Opening of the Williamsport Airport [which yes, is actually located in Montoursville]. The time line seems impossible, and the lack of photos of Earhart at the event also makes no sense... but the paper says she was there, most historians fully believe she was there... she probably was. Just because I don't understand the how, doesn't mean it didn't happen.
But in all the time I spent researching that, I missed the much more interesting story. Whether or not Earhart was there, Cleo Francois Pineau, a Williamsport native, was. This was a man with a life so interesting that I could fully believe Earhart would make an appearance purely to speak with him.
Born July 23rd 1893, Cleo was the son of Thomas & Adele [Gstaldere] Pineau. In 1900, the family can be found in the census for Tioga County, Pa. Thomas is listed as having been born in Canada, and Adele in France.
In an interview with Pineau's Andree daughter in 2017, the Williamsport Sun Gazette Reported: Pineau reportedly was expelled from school in sixth grade, not because he wasn’t smart, but because he couldn’t sit still in the classroom. Phillips said her father had other things he wanted to do and sitting still in a classroom for hours was not one of them. And so he misbehaved.
“It enabled him to have more time for adventures,” she said. “Speed was his thing.”
============= Racing Motorcycles =============
According to the book Sopwith Camel Aces by Norman Franks:
"He had enjoyed a varied life.. having performed as a clown in a circus, a dirt track rider, and more soberly, occupied the position of sales manager for Indian Motorcycles in North Carolina."
He began competing in the vaudeville circuit in 1911, when he would have been only 17 or 18 years old. At only about 5 feet 3 inches, Pineau may have been small in size but he dominated the track for years, becoming one of the nation’s leading motorcycle racers.
At Landon's Motordome in 1913 - with mention of going to the Milton Fair the following week
During the 1920s, he held most of the world records for motorcycle competition in motordromes.
Maldwyn Jones and Cleo Pineau, two prolific pioneer American motorcycle racers prepped and ready to charge the sandy roads of Savannah, GA for the 1913 American Classic 300-Mile Road Race.
In both 1913 and 1914, Pineau competed in the prestigious Savannah 300, a punishing 300-mile endurance race through the mossy lowlands of Georgia.
He was a staple member of the Yellow Jackets, the competitive factory team of Flying Merkel. He once defeating Barney Oldfield, a motorcycle and car racer who was one of the early winners of the Indianapolis 500.
Maldwyn Jones, Cleo Pineau, and Lee Taylor on the line for the 100-mile National held in Toledo, OH on June 9th, 1914. The three made up the infamous Yellow Jackets, Flying Merkel's factory racing team that were consistently among the top contenders of the early teens.
" To be a Merkel man in those days was to ride in rare company—alongside men like Lee Taylor, Ralph DePalma, Charlie Balke, and Maldwyn Jones, all giants in the infancy of American motorsport. Merkel's distinctive orange machines, built by the Merkel-Light Motorcycle Company of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were among the most advanced motorcycles of the day, famed for their "spring frame" rear suspension and precision engineering. Pineau took to them naturally, covering thousands of miles on perilous board track motordromes and dusty county fairground tracks alike as he carved out his legend." - Achivemoto
Cleo Pineau arriving at Miami Cycle Co., after finishing a 1,102 miles trip on May 30, 1916.
Pineau also competed on what was called the “globe of death” or the motordrome, a circular track made up of wooden planks. [Photo is of a motordome track, but does not show Pineau]
================== Flying Ace ==================
Before this country entered World War I, Mr. Pineau, though under age, enlisted in the British Royal Air Force. Trying first to join in France where his family originated, Pineau was denied because he wasn’t a French citizen. He then went to the Royal Canadian Air Force and became a pilot. He trained at the Curtis Aviation School in Buffalo, New York, and was assigned to 210 Squadron on 2 June 1918.
In a letter to his mother, he wrote:
“Flying is so much less dangerous than motorcycle racing,” he wrote. “In fact there is no danger in it at all. I will get a good commission.”
RAF Sopwith Camel
Lieutenant Cleo Francois Pineau was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. Between 6 September and 8 October 1918, he used a Sopwith Camel to destroy four Fokker D.VIIs and drive down two others. He was a member of Hangar No. 1, the top honor of the War Birds of the RAF.
Pineau loved to fly, and would write home about doing acrobats in the sky for fellow soldiers. He shot down six enemy aircraft during the war, writing the names of each plane he downed inside his flying cap.
But it was after his sixth victory in the sky that Pineau was shot down over enemy territory and taken to a prisoner of war camp which was under the command of Kaiser Wilhelm's son.
Andree Phillips said her father rarely talked about his experiences in the war, or his imprisonment. But, Pineau saved a lump of bread from the prison camp and every Thanksgiving he would bring it out and give thanks for the blessings he and his family had.
After the war, Pineau received a letter from King George V, penned in his own hand:
“The Queen joins me in welcoming you on your release from the miseries and hardships which you have endured with so much patience and courage,” the King wrote. “During these many months of trial, the early rescue of our gallant officers and men from the cruelties of their captivity has been uppermost in our thoughts.”
He was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, and, among other honors, was decorated by the Belgian government.
In 1920, in Ohio, Cleo Pineau married "Gabrielle P Bartingale", who was actually Winnifred Bartingale - why she was using the name Gabrielle is unknown. A photo of her appeared in a 1922 Motorcycle Magazine:
"Mrs. Cleo F. sends from England - where motorcycle statistics are more popular than automobiles - this message: "I drive Scouta because it is easy to control and because it is the nicest in terms of shape and appearance. Its low saddle and perfect stability ensure safe driving and the performance of it is to make it happy for every rider. "
Records show Mrs Pineau traveling back and forth between England the U.S. through 1935. It appears that the couple divorced sometime prior to 1940, with Cleo married to Margaret by the 1940 census.
Mrs Cleo Pineau [Margaret ]
In 1928, Radiant Steel was formed from a division of Darling Valve & Manufacturing Company. Pineau was Radiant Steels first sales manager, in 1948, he was president of the company. The Radiant Steel Products Company is still in operation today, a custom precision fabricating and finishing plant servicing the HVAC, office furniture, electronics and athletic equipment industries.
Pineau was one of the members of the former Committee of 100, who founded the West Branch Manufacturers Assn. He served as treasurer of the WBMA for more than 20 years and was an honorary life director of the association.
Even though the area had no airport, Pineau continued to fly with other local pilots, landing in farmers fields and regaling locals with their acrobatics. Pineau was affiliated with Stinson Airplane Company at the time.
He became one of the founders of the Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport. His acquaintanceship among top early aviation people enabled federal approval of the airport, and also paved the way for attendance at the airport dedication of many noted early flyers. [One of these was Wiley Post, killed shortly afterward with Will Rogers in their attempted flight over the North Pole.]
When Lycoming Manufacturing Co., which was building automobile engines at the time, decided to venture into the aviation world by building and developing airplane engines in the 1920s that the airport took shape.
Spearheaded by Chairman E.L. Cord, the company needed a place to test its engines. Working with the city of Williamsport and the local chamber of commerce, funds were raised to purchase 161 acres of land for $75,000 from three farmers just south of Montoursville.
The company invested $30,000 to build a hangar on the land and, in April 1929, the first plane powered by a Lycoming engine made successful trial flights.
The airport was dedicated on July 20, 1929, and was heralded as one of the great leaders of the aviation movement on the East Coast. Five trans-Atlantic flyers attended the dedication, including Amelia Earhart, along with a crowd estimated at 30,000 people, believed to be the largest in the history of the county.
Pineau was an organizer and the first commodore of the West Branch Motorboat Assn.
Sometime in the early to mid-1940s Cleo F. Pineau of Williamsport, PA purchased a thunderbolt boat that had been made in 1937 for Lee Fishman of Philadelphia. He raced the “Emily” on the Susquehanna River and most notably in the Lock Haven Jaycee’s Powerboat Regatta still occurring today. In June of 1954, the ownership of “Emily” was transferred to Robert Gehret, a long time friend of Pineau and Plant Manager of Radiant Steel Products
Pineau was also a life member of the Williamsport Wheel Club, a member of Garrett Cochran Post 1, American Legion, and a member of the Williamsport Country Club.
He died May 29th 1972, aged 78. He's buried in the Mt Carmel section of Wildwood Cemetery, Williamsport Pa.
=================
READ MORE
===================
Cleo F. Pineau, Former Radiant Steel Head, Dies
Cleo F. Pineau, retired president of Radiant Steel Products Co., died at 6:47 a.m. Monday, May 29, 1972, in Divine Providence Hospital, where he had been admitted Friday as a medical patient.
A prominent industrialist here, Mr. Pineau had been Radiant Steel's first sales manager when the company was formed in 1928 from a division of Darling Valve and Manufacturing Co. He continued in a variety of capacities until becoming president in 1948, an office he retained until his retirement in January, 1969. He continued as a director of the company until his death.
Mr. Pineau was one of the members of the former Committee of 100, who founded the West Branch Manufacturers Assn. He served as treasurer of the WBMA for more than 20 years and was an honorary life director of the association.
Before this country entered World War I, Mr. Pineau, though under age, enlisted in the British Royal Air Force. He was a member of Hangar No. 1, the top honor of the War Birds of the RAF. Shot down two months before the end of the war, he spent that time in a prison camp which was under the command of Kaiser Wilhelm's son.
Mr. Pineau held the British Distinguished Flying Cross, the French Croix de Guerre, and, among other honors, was decorated by the Belgian government.
An Airport Founder
He was one of the founders of the Williamsport-Lycoming County Airport. His acquaintanceship among top early aviation people enabled federal approval of the airport, and also paved the way for attendance at the airport dedication of many noted early flyers.
One of these was Wiley Post, killed shortly afterward with Will Rogers in their attempted flight over the North Pole.
Mr. Pineau was noted as a professional motorcyclist as well as a pilot. During the 1920s, he held most of the world records for motorcycle competition in motordromes.
He was an organizer and the first commodore of the West Branch Motorboat Assn.
Mr. Pineau was a life member of the Williamsport Wheel Club, a member of Garrett Cochran Post 1, American Legion, and a member of the Williamsport Country Club.
City Native
Born in Williamsport, he was the son of Thomas L. and Adele Gstalder Pineau.
He was a member of the Church of Annunciation.
Surviving are his wife, Margaret C., one daughter, Mrs. Richard L. Fenstamaker Jr., city, a brother, Ernest, in California, a sister, Mrs. Camille A. Foster, Hollywood, Calif., and four grand children.
The funeral will be at 10 a.m., Wednesday in the church. Burial will be in Mt. Carmel of Wildwood.
There will be no visitation. A family vigil service will be at 8 tonight at Redmond's, 331 Elmira Street. The family will provide the flowers.
------------------
Confusingly, I find articles in 1917 listing Pineau as being from Alberquerque, and separate articles listing him as from Williamsport. Newspapers list a New Mexico residence for his parents, but census records show them in Pennyslvania. As near as I can tell, he was born in Pennsylvania, and his parents later moved to Alberquerque.
--------------------------------
"Gabrielle P Bartingale, didn't exist legally. She was Winnifred Marion Bartingale. From my research, a Gabrielle P Bartingale DID marry Cleo F Pineau in 1920, and did Atlantic crossings several times under that name. In the 1939 registration, a Gabrielle Pineau is registered, but crossed out to Winnifred Bartingale (French). In 1940, Winnifred Pineau, married Henry French, and his marriage documents show marrying a Winnifred Pineau/Bartingale. I have come to the assumption, Winnifred Bartingale, took on another name - Gabrielle, to win over a War Hero and move to America. Gabrielle's last recorded departure from America is in 1935."
====================
1909-1914 Merkel Racing History As soon as production was moved from Milwaukee to Pottstown, the new company decided to spend serious money for racing. Five factory supported riders were hired. These included Stanley Kellog, and Charles Balke,
In April, 1910, Merkel rider Fred Whittler defeated Indian’s top star Jake Derosier.
In late 1910, Indian’s DeRosier was again bested by a Merkel, this time in the hands of Morty Graves, who set new records for two through twenty miles. A Los Angeles track record of almost 75 mph was made in November 1910 by Whittler.
When production was moved to Middletown, the new owners, the Miami Cycle and Manufacturing Company, decided not to continue racing support. Factory employees Maldwyn Jones, Lee Taylor, and Cleo Pineau, however, got under-the-table help in building racing Merkels for the 1911 through 1914 seasons. The factory consented to pay the freight bill to some races, but otherwise the boys were on their own. Jones, Pineau, and Taylor entered many half-mile dirt track races in the MidWest, which was a racing hotbed.
----------------
1914
https://archivemoto.com/thearchive/2025/6/19/the-restless-ace-of-flying-merkel https://www.woodyboater.com/classic-boat-shows/emily-1937-thunderbolt-to-appear-in-back-in-clayton-this-alone-is-worth-the-trip/ Franks, N. (2003). Sopwith Camel Aces of World War 1. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury USA. American Aces of World War 1 by Norman Franks, Harry Dempsey (Illustrator) / Paperback / Osprey Publishing (September 25, 2001) Over the Front by Norman L. R. Franks, Frank W. Bailey / Hardcover / Grub Street the Basement (May 1992) In Clouds of Glory: American Airmen Who Flew With The British During The Great War by James J. Hudson / Paperback / University of Arkansas Press (October 1, 1990)
On June 17, 1948, at 1:41pm, United Airlines Flight 624 enroute from San Diego, California to New York narrowly missed hitting the breaker at Wilburton. The plane banked to the right to avoid the building, which brought the right wing in contact with a transformer sub station. With thirty nine passengers and 4 crew members were on board, the plane exploded. There were no survivors.
===========
THE PLANE
United Airlines Flight 624, a Douglas DC-6 airliner, registration NC37506, was a scheduled passenger flight that originated in San Diego, California with stops in Los Angeles and Chicago en route to LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
The four-engine propeller-driven airplane crashed at 1:41 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on June 17, 1948 outside of Aristes, Pennsylvania, killing all 4 crew members and 39 passengers on board
============ THE LOCATION
A Modern Map, showing Wilburton in relation to Centralia, Mt Carmel, and Ashland Aristes is located above Centralia, to the right of Wilburton on this map.
"NC-37506 crashed approximately three miles east-northeast of Mt Carmel, Pa., in a power line clearing on wooded mountainous terrain
The airplane struck a 66,000 volt transformer and severed power lines. The time at which this occurred was automatically recorded at the Culpment [Kulpmont], Pa. steam electric station at 1241.
An explosion just after impact scattered the wreckage over an area 580 feet long and 175 feet wide. A flash fire followed, scorching and smudging parts of the wreckage throughout the entire area."
Newspapers published the map above, in 1948.
"The breaker, incidentally 265 feet high. Eighty men were inside at the time of the crash. Miners in the Continental mine were unable to be brought to the surface, since the power operating the cage was suspended. They had to walk up a nearby slope."
The Republican and Herald reported that Midvalley, Continental, and Germantown collieries planned to resume on Saturday the 19th. Raven Run would remain idle due to lack of coal supply.
==========
THE CRASH
The plane “limped at half-speed into a valley dotted with anthracite collieries.” as the pilot “guided his ship four miles between two hills. He was scarcely 30 feet above ground.”
It would later be determined that the trouble began as the plane began its initial descent just west of Centralia PA. "This was in preparation for arrival in New York City. During this time, a warning light illuminated indicating that the forward cargo hold was on fire. Believing there was a fire, the crew discharged carbon dioxide into the cargo hold to suppress it.
Per operating procedure, the crew should have opened the pressure release valves on the cabin to vent excess carbon dioxide gas away from people. However, it is believed that this step was not taken.
As a result, carbon dioxide gas began seeping into the cabin and cockpit. This caused the crew to become partially incapacitated. Realizing something was wrong, they began an emergency descent.
As the aircraft dropped in altitude, it accidentally came in contact with a high voltage power line. The aircraft burst into flames and crashed into the wooded hills to the north of Centralia Pennsylvania. Without a doubt, the residents of the town would have been able to see the wreckage burning."
Two telephone repairmen were working on a nearby hillside. One, William Davis, was former Air Corps. He said he knew something was wrong when he saw the plane bank at a 45 degree angle. "A moment later, we saw smoke rising a few miles away."
"We heard an awful roar in the sky" said railroad worker Joseph De Melfi. "We glanced up as the plane seemed to be coming down in a glide and then it struck the high tension wire. It was terrible."
“Stunned miners saw the nose of the plane veer upward too late. It shattered against a 60,000 volt power line and exploded.”
Harry Stibitz, employee at the breaker said:
"I was standing near the corner of the warehouse with Harry Kreisher. when we saw the plane coming from the west, only about forty feet above the ground. Me buddy said 'dig' because we thought the plane was going to hit us. Gosh, the plane was only a few hundred feet away when we saw it. We were almost frozen to the ground. Suddenly the plane curved into the mountainside.
In what seemed but a second there was the crash; the explosion. Flames leaped up. They must have been ninety feet. I could see nothing but smoke and fire. The first impulse was to get some help, so we ran into the office. You couldn't tell if the landing gear down or anything else it all happened so fast."
John D Carey, of Lost Creek, along with Superintendent Mike Wascovich, were looking out the window, toward the west. "We heard the explosion and rushed outside. The flames were shooting into the sky. Some of our men ran up the bank but everything as burning in a wide area.
Immediately we called the Midvalley ambulance and notified the State Police, the Mt. Carmel fire companies and the P. P. and L. "In a matter of a few minutes another large plane' came along, and it must have circled five minutes before going on."
Harry Carey, of Lost Creek, a clerk at the Mid-Colliery, saw the horrifying crash from the office porch, just across the road. "It all happened so suddenly it's hard to explain," he recalled. "There was a mighty roar when the plane exploded. As the wreckage dropped all around us, those of us at the office dashed for fire extinguishers and ran to the scene. At first we couldn't get through the flames to the wreckage, and the danger of high tension lines knocked to the ground held us back. But we knew instantly that no one lived through the sickening disaster."
Cpt. Earl Bach, a 32 year old pilot for United Airlines, flew over the scene several minutes after the crash and made the first official report of the tragedy. "I've sighted Flight 64. It looks demolished, " he radioed in. He later said "The plane was demolished in a hillside. Nearby woods were on fire. You could see a clearing nearby. Smoke made it hard to distinguish things in the are, but there appears to be no survivors." Bach kept a "wing in the passengers view" and none of his passengers were aware there had been a crash. "The few who noticed a disturbance thought it was just another fire".
============
RECOVERY
The accident scene was roped off, and "coal miners from a colliery that barely missed being hit by the plummeting plane helped searchers comb the area for body fragments."
The charred scene covered an area the size of three city blocks. "Bodies, baggage, and plane parts were strewn everywhere."
"A tattered steamer robe atop a burning tree fluttered as a bleak ensign of the destruction. Underneath, workers poked awkwardly into the debris on the side of a coal mountain, in a search for the bodies."
Capt Thelma Peirce, "a Salvation Army lassie", distributed sandwiches and coffee to scores of persons digging in the wreckage.
Many of the remains were flown by helicopter to Centralia where a helicopter landed on a flat space about a quarter mile from the Joseph Stutz Funeral Home.
Stutz had charge of arrangements.
United flew relatives in on special planes, to make identifications. Family members stayed at the McGinley Hotel directly across from Stutz, The Marble Hotel in Mt Carmel, and The Hotel Loeper in Ashland. The McGinley in Centralia had 17 rooms, a bar and restaurant.
[McGinley's burned down in 1935, so whether the photo above is the original, or the later rebuild, I am not certain]
Bell Telephone set up extra phone banks at each of the hotels for the use of families of victims and news media.
A wallet was found with Earl Carroll's identification, and $1024 cash. [That's roughly the equivalent of $13,600 in 2025]. Also found was a baby's purse with a penny inside.
Jack Herlihy, vice president of operations for United, set up an emergency office on one of the collieries.
The plane had been carrying mail, which was, as was custom, stored in the tail, where much of it survived the crash.
The recovered mail was packed into cardboard boxes supplied by the Marsden Potato Chip Co. of Pottsville.
It was then taken to the Pottsville post office to be sent on it's way.
Each piece included a slip identifying it as being aboard an aircraft that was involved in a crash.
On Wednesday the 23rd, the Morning Press reported that an air Force reserve Helicopter had arrived at Bloomsburg Airport, and would be used to search for parts that may have fallen from the plane before it crashed.
==============
THE VICTIMS
"Victims included famed Hollywood-Broadway theatrical producer Earl Carroll; Mrs. Jack Oakie [Venita Veriden], divorced wife of the motion picture actor, Actress Beryl Wallace, star of Carroll's theater restaurant show, and Henry L. Jackson, men's fashion editor of Colliers magazine.
Carroll was headed to the MacArthuer headquarters at the Republican National Convention. "A hero pilot in the sketchy air force of World War I, Carroll was long a friend of Gen. Douglas MacArthuer, and an untiring worker in the Mac-Arthur-For-President campaign"
Albert William Stampel, of Stratford Connecticut, had just been discharged from the Navy and was on his way home.
Two infants were also on board.
"The passengers aboard the United Airlines plane which crashed in Pennsylvania yesterday, killing all aboard were:
Earl Carroll, Hollywood producer.
Mrs. Jack Oakie, Hollywood , divorced wife of the motion picture actor.
Beryl Wallace, star of Carroll’s theater restaurant show.
E. George Von Sebo, New York City, official of Devoe & Reynolds, Inc., paint firm.
Parker W. Silzer, 48, Metuchen, N. J…son of…late former Gov. George S. Silzer of NJ.
Mrs. Alta Gwinn Saunders, professor of business English…Univ. of Illinois, Urbana.
Hugh McCloskey, the Texas Company, New York City.
Lt. Com. C. S. Avery, San Francisco.
Nathan Berke, Berke Bakeries, Brooklyn.
Ernest Winckoff, Berke Bakeries, Brooklyn.
Rowland Brown, auditor, Brown Brothers, Harriman and Company, New York City.
Arthur B. Smith, department head, Brown Brothers, Harriman and Co., New York City.
Frank Campi, San Jose, Calif.
H. Jackson, Crowell & Collier Company, publishers, New York City.
W. A. Kendall, Scarsdale, N. Y.
D. Marcus, Chicago.
Mrs. D. Marcus, same address.
The Marcus Infant.
Mrs. L. O. Weiser, Chicago.
The Weiser Infant.
A. S. Angus, the Texas Company, New York City.
A. G. Devito, Brooklyn.
Hans Joachim, San Francisco.
R. Harvey, Recotron Corp., New York City.
H. L. Slater, New York City.
Miss Kay Thorpe, NBC announcer in Chicago.
E. Hinchliff, Bursen Knitting Mills, Rockford, Ill.
G. W. Rogers, Lamond Corliss Company, New York City.
Y. Lecorre, Paris, France.
T. J. Gallagher, Bryn Mawr, Pa.
L. Dleringer, Comstock Electric Co., New York City.
R. B. Stewart, Comstock Electric Co., New York City.
N. V. Pessin, Los Angeles.
Mr. and Mrs. G. Harries, Boyertown, Pa.
Remo Bufano, nationally famous marionette producer, New York City.
William Casmer, New York City.
Albert W. Stempel, Stratford, Conn.
Paul March, 32, Sacramento, Calif.
Members of the airliner’s crew:
Capt. George Warner Jr., Westmont, Ill., pilot.
Richard Schember, 26, Elgin, Ill., first officer.
Nancy L. Brown, 23, R. D., Fort Meyers, Fla., stewardess.
Circumstances: The airplane arrived in Chicago at 0952LT, en route from Los Angeles to New York City. At Chicago, the airplane was given a routine station inspection, serviced, loaded, and the flight departed for New York with a new crew at 1044. Aboard were 39 passengers, a crew of four, 2,568 pounds of cargo and 1,800 gallons of fuel, all properly loaded. The resulting total airplane weight was within the certificated gross weight. The airplane climbed en route to its planned altitude of 17,000 feet, proceeding on course, and at 1155 the captain reported to the company radio at LaGuardia Field, that the airplane was mechanically "okay” for a return trip. A routine report was made over Phillipsburg, PA, approximately 500 miles east of Chicago, at 1223, and at 1227 the crew made a routine acknowledgment of a clearance to descend en route to an altitude between 13,000 and 11,000 feet. Four minutes later, at 1231, the company radio operator at LaGuardia Field heard a voice which did not identify itself calling loudly and urgently. Another United crew in a DC-3, flying over the same route behind Flight 624 and at a different altitude, heard what they termed “screaming voices” calling "New York." Then, after an unintelligible transmission, “This is an emergency descent." Inasmuch as all other air carrier flights in the vicinity at this time were accounted for, this transmission undoubtedly emanated from Flight 624. The airplane was first observed by ground witnesses 31 miles northwest of the scene of the accident flying a southeasterly heading toward Shamokin, PA. The airplane flew over the Sunbury Airport, at approximately 4,000 feet above the ground on a southeasterly heading. Immediately north of Shamokin the airplane, then only 500 to 1,000 feet above the ground, described a shallow left turn. The course was toward constantly rising terrain, the hills around Sunbury being 900 feet in elevation and the hills around Shamokin being approximately 1,600 feet in elevation. Five miles east or beyond Shamokin the airplane, flying only 200 feet above the ground, entered a right climbing turn. As it passed to the north of Mount Carmel, the climbing turning attitude increased sharply. The airplane then struck a hillside at an elevation of 1,649 feet. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 43 occupants were killed.
Probable cause: The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the incapacitation of the crew by a concentration of CO2 gas in the cockpit.
The following factors were considered as contributing:
- A fire warning caused the crew to discharge at least one bank of the CO2 fire extinguisher bottles in the forward cargo pit (the forward underfloor baggage compartment),
- Six 15-pound CO2 bottles and six discharge valves were found in the wreckage, however, both the bottles and the valves (which had become separated from their respective bottles upon impact) were so damaged that no conclusions could be drawn as to how many of such bottles had been discharged prior to impact,
- At the time of impact, the emergency cabin pressure relief valves were closed, and the control mechanism for such valves was in the closed position,
- Except for the apparent failure of the fire detection instrument referred to in finding No. 5, supra, the investigation revealed no mechanical failure of the aircraft or fire in flight,
- The emergency procedure for the operation of the DC-6 fire extinguisher system was established after flight tests were conducted in a descent configuration of 300 miles per hour, with landing gear and flaps up, no flight tests were conducted prior to the accident in a descent configuration of 160 miles per hour with gear and flaps down, which configuration was also approved for DC-6 operations,
- At the time of impact the landing gear was in the “up" position, thus indicating that the aircraft had descended in the configuration of 300 miles per hour. The extensive breakage of the aircraft precluded any positive determination as to the position of the flaps,
- After the release of CO2 gas hazardous concentrations of the gas entered into the cockpit,
- Due to the physiological and toxic effects of high concentrations of CO2 gas in the cockpit, which would probably not have occurred had the cabin pressure relief valves been open, the members of the flight crew of the aircraft were rendered physically and mentally incapable of performing their duties.
The following comment was added to the conclusion:
A fire in flight permits little opportunity for the exercise of detached and thoughtful consideration of emergency procedure. Immediate action is required if a fire is to be controlled. Too little consideration has been given to the psychological and physical limitations of crew members in time of stress and danger as related to the complexity of emergency fire procedure. It is not safe to assume that the pilot and co-pilot, under emergency pressure, will always adhere rigidly to the sequence of steps outlined in the CAA Approved Airplane Operating Manual. The possibility of human error under great mental stress is well documented in air transport experience and the design of aircraft controls, especially those of an emergency character, should take into consideration the natural limitations of human nature. These limitations argue against involved procedures applicable in emergencies. In harmony with this objective, the Douglas Aircraft Company has designed and is testing a modified fire extinguishing system which will permit all necessary steps to be executed by the movement of one control. An additional vent is also being designed to reduce CO2 concentration in the cockpit. Seven days after the Mt Carmel accident, the Director of Aviation Safety of the CAA directed telegrams to all CAA regional administrators calling attention to his telegram of June 10, 1948, referred to above, and advising that further investigation had disclosed the existence of the CO2 concentration condition found in Constellation aircraft by the Chillicothe tests in other makes of aircraft. The telegram concluded "Hence, flight crews of all aircraft should be advised to wear oxygen masks and utilize emergency cockpit smoke clearance procedures when carbon dioxide is released into any fuselage compartment from other than portable extinguishers.” All scheduled U S air carriers operating DC-6s have equipped the airplanes with demand type full face oxygen masks for the use of the crew.
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