- 5 -
the visibility was 1/2 mile, variable.[1] Since Jacksonville had previously broadcast to Trip 5 the Savannah visibility as 1-1/8 miles, it immediately contacted the flight at 1:41 a.m. and advised it of the 1/2 mile visibility then existing. This was acknowledged by the flight.
When the Civil Aeronautics communications operator at Charleston received the 1:30 a.m. Savannah sequence on the teletype, he detected the error made in the visibility report of 1-1/8 miles and broadcast a correction of 1/8 mile for Savannah at 1:42 a.m. He stated that his reason for so doing, without obtaining a verification, was that it was then time for him to broadcast his regular sequence report, and that such a delay might result in the withholding of vital meteorological information. During this time Captain Cann was listening to the company broadcast and did not hear this correction. However, upon returning to the Charleston range he stated he heard the latter part of the weather sequence broadcast at 1:42 a.m.
The following radio conversation, ending at 1:57 a.m., then took place between Trip 5 and the Savannah ground station.
A few minutes later Savannah called Trip 5 and said. "The visibility is not as good as when I last called you." Trip 5 replied, "That's O.K.". This conversation ended at 2:03 a.m.
At the time of the above conversation, the aircraft was in the vicinity of the airport and, according to the captain, he could line up the northeast-southwest runway and was able to see the marker lights at each end. Captain Cann then requested that the airport flood lights be turned on and his request was complied with. He stated that there was only a very thin layer of fog close to the runway extending only slightly above the runway, but that smoke, extremely dense, but not very high, was lying across the northeast end of the runway. The First Officer testified that fog was visible and that there was "a halo around the lights" to indicate there was fog there. He also stated there was a dense billow of smoke just to the northeast of the northeast-southwest runway.
- ↑ Although the 1/2 mile visibility observation was considered official it was not recorded on the "Airway Weather Reports" form for the Savannah station. The recording for 1:30 a.m. indicated "visibility 1/8 mile, dense ground fog."
