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Normal radar hand-off was effected between Midway Tower and Chicago Center. The center radar controller subsequently cleared N 1502 to climb to and maintain 9,000 feet. A position report was made over Peotone at 1655, estimating Fort Wayne at 1725. At this time the flight was cleared from the Chicago departure control frequency to the Goshen peripheral frequency. N 1502 reported over Fort Wayne at 1724 at 9,000 feet and estimated arrival time at Findlay at 1740 and was advised to contact Cleveland Center on 125.8 mcs.
Upon contacting Cleveland Center as 1733, N 1502 gave to position as over Fort Wayne at 1724, at 9,000 feet, estimating Findlay omni at 1740, with Appleton omni as the next checkpoint. The controller gave the Findlay altimeter setting as 29.87. The center's records indicate that the flight reported over Findlay omni at 1739, at 9,000 feet, estimating Appleton omni at 1754, with Zanesville omni as the next checkpoint At this time N 1502 was advised to contact Indianapolis Center on 125.4 mcs.
At approximately 1740, N 1502 contacted Indianapolis Center and gave the follow- ing position report "1502 checked Findlay at 39, at nine thousand, estimating Appleton at 56, Zanesville, go ahead." Indianapolis Center acknowledged the positio report and gave the Columbus altimeter at 29.92. N 1502 acknowledged; this was its last transmission; none of the radio contacts suggested any difficulty.
At 1752, N 1502 was observed by people on the ground to enter a near-vertical dive and crash at a point about three miles south-southeast of the Marion, Ohio, Airport. The crash site is about 15 miles to one side of the flight's planned course and the crash occurred a few minutes after the aircraft should have traversed the area.
An estimated 80 persons were contacted regarding their reported observations of N 1502 prior to the crash and 19 supplied witness statements to investigators. consensus, these statements indicate the following.
N 1502 was first observed flying over the Marion Municipal Airport on a south-southeast heading at about 4,000 feet altitude. (How and why the aircraft descended from 9,000 feet is not known It was next seen over the U. 3 Arny Engineer Depot, Marion, Ohio, still on a south-southeast heading. The next positive observance of the aircraft was when it was turning from an easterly heading to the north. At this time the aircraft was observed to make a "short" climb and then continue the turn to a northerly heading. The aircraft maintained this northerly heading and was shortly seen to enter a dive, described as vertical At the start of the dive the aircraft was at an altitude of approximately 4,000 feet.
Witness descriptions of the sound created by the powerplants indicate that the maximum or near maximum power was being developed by both engines throughout that portion of the flight when the aircraft altered heading from the south-southeast to the north. N 1502, gaining altitude throughout the turn, continued to climb after reaching the northerly heading. At this point power noise became less and the aircraft was observed to enter the reported vertical dive with power again applied, at or near maximum, continuing until impact.
According to local persons the weather at the time of the accident was substantially as follows:
