1934 Swissair Tuttlingen accident
Curtiss AT-32C Condor II | |
Operator | Swissair |
---|---|
Registration | CH-170 |
Flight origin | Zurich Airport, Switzerland |
Stopover | Stuttgart Airport, Germany |
Last stopover | Leipzig/Halle Airport, Germany |
Destination | Berlin Tempelhof Airport, Germany |
Passengers | 9 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 12 |
Survivors | 0 |
On 27 July 1934, a
Aircraft and occupants
The aircraft involved in the accident, registered CH-170, was a Curtiss AT-32C Condor II, a variant of the standard T-32 developed specifically for Swiss flag carrier Swissair, which was its only operator. CH-170 had entered service on 28 March 1934, and at the time of the accident, had only been in service for four months. The cabin was configured with seating for up to 15 people.[3]
The aircraft's flight attendant, Nelly Diener, also known as the Engel der Lüfte ("Angel of the Skies"), was Europe's first air stewardess. She had been working for Swissair since 1 May 1934. The other two crew members were the pilot, Armin Mühlematter, and the radio navigator, Hans Daschinger. On the fatal flight, nine passengers were aboard.[3][4]
Accident
The aircraft departed
Investigation
Investigators found that oscillations in the wing had caused a stress fracture, the severity of which was exacerbated by the violent weather conditions in which the aircraft was flying. German investigators, however, determined that one fracture formed in the wing and engine-mount structure due to defective construction and welding techniques in conjunction with the engine vibrations, while a second fracture resulted from the force of the turbulence in the storm.[3][4]
References
- ^ "1934 occurrences". aviation-safety.net. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
- ^ "Swissair occurrences". aviation-safety.net. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Swopes, Brian. "This Day in Aviation – 27 July 1934". thisdayinaviation.com. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
- ^ a b "Crash of a Curtiss Condor 32 in Tuttlingen: 12 killed". baaa-acro.com. Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on February 17, 2014.
- ^ Kebabjian, Richard. "Accident Details". planecrashinfo.com. Plane Crash Info. Retrieved 17 February 2014.