ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-35-DL (DC-3) 42-23957 Rock Falls, IA
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Status:
Date:Monday 2 August 1943
Time:12:40
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC3 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Douglas C-47A-35-DL (DC-3)
Operator:United States Army Air Force - USAAF
Registration: 42-23957
MSN: 9819
First flight: 1943
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92
Crew:Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:0,8 km (0.5 mls) W of Rock Falls, IA (   United States of America)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Military
Departure airport:Fort Wayne Municipal Airport/Baer Field, IN (FWA/KFWA), United States of America
Destination airport:San Rafael-Hamilton Field, CA (SRF), United States of America
Narrative:
En route to Hamilton Field the C-47 ran into a severe thunderstorm. Turbulence caused the pilot to lose control of the airplane. He attempted to pull up but this caused too much stress on the airplane. The left wingtip buckled. The entire wing then folded back along the fuselage. It struck the horizontal stabilizer and tore it off as it separated from the fuselage. The C-47 entered a spin and crashed in flames.
It appeared that the airplane was overloaded by 2126 pounds.

Classification:
Thunderstorm
Wing failure
Loss of control

Sources:
» Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research (AAIR)
» Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945, Vol. 2: July 1943-July 1944 / Anthony J. Mireles


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This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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