1961 Cincinnati Zantop DC-4 crash

A Zantop Air Transport Douglas DC-4 was on its final approach to Greater Cincinnati Airport runway 18, when it clipped some trees and crashed into a wooded area north of the airport.[1] This was the first of at least three aircraft on their final approach that failed to reach runway 18 at the Greater Cincinnati Airport, becoming victims of the area's hilly terrain with steep changes in elevation from the Ohio River,[2] the others being American Airlines Flight 383 and TWA Flight 128.

1961 Cincinnati Zantop DC-4 crash
A C-54 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
DateNovember 14, 1961
SummaryControlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
SiteHebron, Kentucky, U.S.
Aircraft
Aircraft typeDouglas DC-4
OperatorZantop Air Transport
RegistrationN30061
Flight originDetroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupants3
Crew3
Fatalities0
Injuries2
Survivors3

Crash

The pilot, Calvin Goutier, the co-pilot, Richard Breathren, and the unnamed flight engineer were flying from Detroit, Michigan, carrying automotive parts for General Motors Corporation to the airport for a routine landing while en route to Atlanta, Georgia.[3] In the crash the fuselage broke into two pieces and the wreckage was strewn along a 400-foot (122-m) path. The crash occurred about 5:26 a.m.[4]

The plane had been tracked by radar and suddenly disappeared from the radar screen, and airport authorities saw a large flash.[4]

The crew exited through an escape hatch, surviving with minor injuries (Goutier a sprained ankle and Breathren a leg injury).[5] They walked to Kentucky Route 20, about 1 1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) away, for help. A passing motorist, who worked for Delta Air Lines, noted a person walking out of the woods and continued driving to the airport. Later, Delta employees picked up the crew members.

Aircraft

The DC-4 aircraft involved was originally a United States Army Air Forces Douglas Skymaster, s/n 42-72226, which had been re-purchased by Douglas Aircraft Company on October 1, 1945, and reconfigured into a DC-4. On January 9, 1946, it was sold to United Airlines bearing US registration number N30061. United leased the airliner to Slick Airways on June 20, 1956. On June 4, 1959, it was sold to Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, who leased it back to Slick Airways until June 1960. Zantop Air Transport bought the aircraft in June 1960 and operated it as a cargo plane until it crashed.[6]

References
  1. The Middletown Journal, November 14, 1961
  2. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,712003,00.html
  3. Albuquerque Tribune, November 14, 1961
  4. New Castle News, November 15, 1961
  5. Albuquerque Journal, November 15, 1961
  6. att.net Archived February 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

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