Capital Airlines Flight 67

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Capital Airlines Flight 67
A first responder removes debris from the wreckage of Capital Airlines Flight 67.webp
A first responder removes debris from the wreckage of Capital Airlines Flight 67
Accident
DateApril 6, 1958
Summary Stall, loss of control
Site Tittabawassee Township, near Freeland-Tri City Airport, Freeland, Michigan, United States
43°31′14.05″N84°5′54.91″W / 43.5205694°N 84.0985861°W / 43.5205694; -84.0985861
Aircraft
Vickers Viscount 745D, Capital Airlines JP7167210.jpg
A Capital Airlines Vickers Viscount similar to the one which crashed.
Aircraft type Vickers Viscount
Operator Capital Airlines
Registration N7437
Flight origin Newark International Airport
Newark, New Jersey, United States [1]
1st stopover Willow Run Airport,
Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States
2nd stopover Flint-Bishop Airport,
Flint, Michigan, United States
3rd stopover Freeland-Tri City Airport,
Freeland, Michigan, United States
4th stopover Capital City Airport,
Lansing, Michigan, United States
5th stopover Kent County Airport,
Cascade Township, Michigan, United States
Destination Chicago Midway Airport,
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Passengers44
Crew3
Fatalities47
Survivors0

Capital Airlines Flight 67 was a domestic scheduled U.S. passenger flight operated by Capital Airlines which crashed on final approach to Freeland, Michigan, during a severe snowstorm on April 6, 1958, killing all 47 people on board. The flight was en route from Flint-Bishop Airport to the Freeland-Tri City Airport (now MBS International Airport) when it crashed. [2] Flight 67 was the first of four fatal crashes in the space of two years involving Capital Airlines Vickers Viscounts; [3] the others were Flight 300 (May 1958), [4] Flight 75 (May 1959), and Flight 20 (January 1960).

Contents

Accident

Approach conditions towards Freeland were poor due to the weather; there was restricted visibility, and conditions were ripe for icing. The plane's crew apparently attempted a steep turn to align the craft with the runway. This caused the plane to stall, which was followed by a spin. [5] The crew could not regain control, leading to the crash.

Investigation

The official cause of the crash was listed as an undetected buildup of ice on the horizontal stabilizer which, coupled with airspeed and the design of the aircraft, caused it to lose control. [5] Furthermore, the aircraft's stall warning device was inoperative. [2] [6]

A memorial to the victims was unveiled in a local cemetery in 2001. [7]

References

  1. ↑ Andrick, Floyd The crash of Flight 67 was 60 years ago, Midland Daily News, April 6, 2018, retrieved 2024-03-18
  2. 1 2 "Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Report, Docket no. SA-331, File no. 1-0031". April 6, 1958. Retrieved June 1, 2021. – PDF
  3. ↑ Capital Airlines accidents and incidents
  4. ↑ Accident descriptionfor Capital Airlines Flight 300 at the Aviation Safety Network
  5. 1 2 Accident descriptionfor Capital Airlines Flight 67 at the Aviation Safety Network
  6. ↑ Winger, Doug (March 24, 2008). "47 perish: Easter Sunday plane crash at Tri-City Airport remembered 50 years later". Midland Daily News . Archived from the original on January 30, 2013.
  7. ↑ Henson, Stacey (April 6, 2008). "Crash of Capital Airlines Flight 67 lingers like contrails in the mind of an Essexville, Michigan, author and plane enthusiast". Saginaw news archives, mlive.com.


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