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based on current United States Weather Bureau sequence weather reports, forecasts, and a trip forecast made by the company meteorologist. The pilot's flight plan called for a cruising altitude of 7,000 feet and the flight was cleared in accordance with that plan by Airway Traffic Control at Kansas City.[1] The estimated total time from Kansas City to St. Louis, including taxing, was 1 hour and 24 minutes, and Indianapolis, Indiana, was designated as the alternate airport.
Available weather reports showed that a general overcast condition prevailed over the entire route between Kansas City and St. Louis with precipitation in the form of snow over western Missouri changing to drizzle eastward. The ceiling at Kansas City was estimated to be 900 feet and visibility one and one-fourth miles with a moderate snow falling. Intermediate weather reports at Marshall, Columbia, and New Florence, Missouri, indicated average ceilings from 400 to 1200 feet and visibility ranged from one and one-half miles to five miles. The ceiling at St. Louis was estimated to be 800 feet, variable, overcast, lower broken, visibility 3 miles, light drizzle, light fog, scattered clouds at 500 feet. The weather at Indianapolis, the alternate airport for St. Louis, was overcast, ceiling 200 feet, and visibility unlimited.
The trip departed from the ramp at Kansas City Municipal Airport at 2:40 a.m., having been delayed by Captain Scott on account of last minute weather checks and in order that the ground crew might
- ↑ The Airway Traffic Control staff, a part of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, regulates the flow of traffic over the civil airways during instrument weather conditions in order to eliminate the possibility of collision between aircraft. Before flying on a civil airway under instrument visibility conditions, approval must be secured from Airway Traffic Control for the flight, including the altitude at which it is to be flown.
