- 10 -
The landing gear was ordered down. At this time the No. 4 engine started a surge of power which indicated that the engines would probably resume normal operation, so the captain ordered the gear up again. This surge of power, however, died out and as only one engine was operating and at reduced power, the gear was ordered down again. It was then too late to fully extend the gear and the aircraft contacted the ground while the gear was only partially extended. The ground was covered with soft sod and the landing shock was slight as the aircraft skidded along on the under surface of the fuselage.
The accident occurred about 6:03 p.m. (CST) at a point approximately 22 miles west of Pritchett, Colorado, and resulted in major damage to the aircraft. Members of the crew and the passengers received no injuries. Although there are no official weather reporting stations in the vicinity of the point where the landing was made, the conditions which prevailed at the time of the accident are reliably fixed by Captain Bryan's observation as being overcast at about 800 feet with a visibility of about one mile because of moderate rainfall.
Immediately after the landing, a carburetor was removed from one of the engines and it was found to contain a large amount of soft rime ice. The remaining three carburetors were inspected the following day and each was found to contain a considerable quantity of water at that time. Examination of the gasoline tanks showed the fuel to be ample and to be free from water or dirt.
