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An airport weather observation made one minute after the accident indicated an estimated ceiling of 4,0C0 feet with scattered clouds at 600 and 1,500 feet; visibility 6 miles; light rain showers; ground fog; temperature 68 degrees; dewpoint 62 degrees; and a wind of four knots from the east-southeast. Rain was falling during the approach and touchdown and had been for some time previously; the runway was thoroughly wet with localized areas of standing water.
The Kanawha County Airport is built on the top of a mountain. Runway 32 13 4,750 feet long and runway 23, the ILS runway, is 5,200 feet Long. On May 12, 1959, the latter runway was closed for repairs; it was being lengthened 600 feet. Both runways are paved with a surface consisting of an asphalt and concrete mixture. The terrain at the end of the runways slants downward abruptly.
The Civil Air Regulations require that transport category airplanes in scheduled service can be landed, within 60 percent of the effective length of the runway on a dry runway in still air. The effective length of runway 32 is approximately 3,830 feet, 60 percent of which is 2,300 feet According to the FAA Approved Airplane Flight Manual the stopping distance for a Lockheed L-049 aircraft weighing 78,700 pounds when landed on this runway is 2,300 feet. The remainder of the effective runway length is intended to provide a safety margin.
First tire marks were found 3,450 feet from the approach end of runway 32. These marks were made by the tires of both the main landing gear and nose gear wheels, and their relation to each other indicated that the aircraft was skidding with the nose gear slightly to the left. Additional tire marks were found 200 feet farther on. At approximately 3,730 feet down the runway more tire marks were found. These marks indicated a slightly more pronounced skid and the beginning of a left turn. From this point to where the aircraft went over the embankment, tire marks were continuous. Tire tracks made by the nose gear and the left main gear wheels crossed each other at a point where the aircraft entered runway under similar circumstances.
It was found that the nose of the aircraft was turning as in a left ground Loop; however, the forward movement of the aircraft was a gentle left curve from the paved runway surface to the edge of the embankment. This is best illustrated by the fact that when the aircraft went over the embankment the nose was heading 180 degrees; however, the direction of travel was 290 degrees. The distance from where the aircraft left the runway to the boundary of the airport is 286 feet.
The main aircraft wreckage was found 200 feet down the 32-degree slope. The vertical depth from the surface of the airport to the wreckage is 95 feet. was determined that the right main landing gear collapsed when the aircraft struck the ridge at the top of the hill
During the slide down the slope the No. 3 engine was torn fron its mounts and completely reversed its position. When this occurred, a portion of a
