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Airplanes
Airplane NC 25667, which was being operated by Braniff on Flight 2 at the time of the accident, was a Douglas Model DC-3 powered with two Wright Cyclone G-102 engines, each rated at 1100 horsepower for take-off, and equipped with Hamilton Standard constant speed full-feathering propellers. It had been manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Santa Monica, California, and had been placed in service by Braniff about June 27, 1940. This aircraft and its equipment had been approved by the Civil Aeronautics Administration for air carrier operation, over routes flown by Braniff, with 21 passengers and a crew of three. It had been certificated for operation with a standard gross weight of 24,400 pounds[1] and a provisional gross weight 24,800 pounds. The use of the airplane was restricted so that no take-off could be made at the Wichita Municipal Airport, except on the hard-surfaced north-south runway, if its weight at the time of take-off exceeded the standard gross weight. At the time of the accident the gross weight of the aircraft was 23,258 pounds.
NC 1941, which was being operated by TWA on Flight 6 at the time of the accident, was also a Douglas Model DC-3 which had been manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It had been placed in service by TWA about December 23, 1940. It was powered with two Wright Cyclone G-202-A engines, each rated at 1200 h.p. for take-off, and was equipped with Hamilton
- ↑ The standard gross weight of an aircraft is the maximum allowable gross weight for landing, while the provisional gross weight of an aircraft is the maximum allowable gross weight for take-off. When an aircraft takes off at its maximum provisional gross weight, the weight of the aircraft must be reduced by gasoline consumption at least to the standard gross weight for landing prior to arrival at its next scheduled stop. If sufficient gasoline has not been consumed between the time of take-off and any emergency landing, gasoline can be dumped by the use of tested and approved dump valves in order to reduce the total weight to the approved gross weight for landing.
