Aviation Accident Report: Chicago and Southern Airlines Flight 4

by Darwin Charles Brown for the Civil Aeronautics Board

Adopted June 5, 1942
File No. 224-42

REPORT OF THE CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD
of the
investigation of an Accident Involving Aircraft in
Scheduled Air Carrier Operation

An accident occurred at Municipal Airport, Memphis, Tennessee at about 11:10 p.m. February 24, 1942 in which a Douglas model DC-3A airplane received minor damage. Its crew of two and six passengers received no injury. The crew included Captain Claude McCoy Sterling and Co-pilot Edward E. Reid, both of whom were properly certificated and appropriately rated. The airplane, NC 19977, was owned by Chicago and Southern Air Lines, Inc.

The plane, operating as Chicago and Southern's Flight 4 of February 24, had reached Memphis and had landed without incident. The right windshield had some light ice or frost on it picked up in the overcast but the hot air blower had kept the left windshield clear for landing. While taxying slowly on the ramp towards the terminal building, the landing lights disclosed military planes parked on the ramp to the left of Flight 4's path. To avoid any possibility of colliding with these planes, Captain Sterling taxied nearer to the right-hand edge of the ramp. Suddenly First Officer Reid shouted a warning and an instant later the right wing tip of slowly-moving Flight 4 struck the nose of a military plane parked at the right side of the ramp.

Flight 4 was in the traffic lane when the collision occurred. The military planes were parked without warning lights and the crew of Flight 4 had not been warned by the control tower of their presence.

PROBABLE CAUSE: Action of ground personnel in parking airplanes without marker lights in the path of normal traffic.

CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: Poor visibility due to ice and moisture on windshield.

BY THE BOARD

/s/ Darwin Charles Brown
Secretary