Standard Air Lines Flight 897R
Burbank Airport | |
Passengers | 44 |
---|---|
Crew | 4 |
Fatalities | 35 |
Survivors | 13 |
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]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Curtiss_C-46E_Standard_Air_Lines_%285230304373%29.jpg/220px-Curtiss_C-46E_Standard_Air_Lines_%285230304373%29.jpg)
The flight
The
Crash
The aircraft was flying in level flight with the gear down, on an ILS approach to
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
Actress 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
Due 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
References
- ^ "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.
- 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
- 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.