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An additional crew member, Donald W. Tygert, employed as a copilot occupied the jump seat on Flight 371. Tygert was 26 years old and his flying time was approximately 4,274 hours, 85.27 hours of which were an Martin 202 aircraft. His last line check was completed on October 19, 1959, in Martin 202 equipment and his last first-class medical was passed on October 10, 1959. Flight Attendant William T. Conger, age 28, was employed January 22, 1956.
Powerplants
Both engines and both propellers were examined at the scene since the terrain made it impossible to remove them intact for study.
Both engines broke free from the aircraft at impact and rolled down the very steep slope. The left engine was found approximately 70 feet, and the right engine 180 feet, from the mam wreckage. Fire damage to the engines was light and was exhibited only in the area of flammable fluid lines. The accessories mounted at the rear of the right engine were, however, subjected to some heat damage.
Impact damage to both engines was relatively light. The scavenge pumps, main oil screens, sump plugs, and finger screens of both engines were examined and felled to show any of the contamination associated with an engine failure.
One spark plug was removed from each cylinder and the examination of the electrodes showed them all to be normal in appearance. The combustion chambers were examined with the aid of a boroscope and all appeared normal.
The magnetos, propeller governors, fuel pumps, carburetors, vacuum pumps, and hydraulic pumps were removed from the engines and taken to the shops of Allegheny Airlines for test and examination.
The propellers were examined and all blades on both the right and left propellers were found to have broken off irregularly.
The propeller piston was positioned at +43 degrees in each propeller and the three shim plates on the left propeller were marked relative to blade angle at +46 degrees and the sham plates of the right propeller were marked at +46 degrees, +42 degrees, and +38 degrees, respectively.
There was no evidence to indicate inflight failure of any of the components of the powerplants. The propeller blade angles at impact and the relatively uniform breakage of the propeller blades were consistent with appreciable power being produced at impact.
Instruments
The plot compartment and the instrument panels were subjected to extensive impact damage and subsequent heavy ground fire and many of the instruments were completely destroyed. All those instruments or parts of instruments which were recovered were removed from the scene for examination and study. Particular attention was paid to direction-indicating instruments.
The captain's master direction indicator (MDI) was found with the compass card in position and seized in the relatively intact front end housing. The indicated heading was approximately 262 degrees. The repeater indicator from the copilot's panel was found in a badly burned condition, but relatively undamaged by impact. Its compass
