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northwest about 8 miles an hour, he landed on the west runway. Captain Carson stated that as he broke out of the overcast a light snow was falling and he estimated that the ceiling was about 700 feet and the visibility about ¾ of a mile. He did not examine the ship for ice after landing, however the mail-boy handed him a piece of ice which he had broken from the loop antenna described as about in inch in thickness.
Captain William F. Richmond landed at Chicago on a Northwest Airlines flight from Minneapolis at 4 p.m. and took off again from Chicago at 6:12 p.m. the afternoon of the crash. In making an approach for a landing he encountered an overcast with a definite top of 5000 feet with unlimited conditions existing above. He testified he encountered a very heavy icing condition between 5000 and 4500 feet, a light to moderate glaze icing conditions between 4500 and 2000 feet, and that he broke out of the overcast at 1200 feet. Underneath the overcast a very light misting condition existed and the ice melted off. Captain Richmond described the icing condition in the overcast as "head on an ice condition as you could have". However, the de-icer boots were effective and the hot air windshield de-icer kept a spot clear on the windshield. He maintained heat on his carburetors and had no difficulty with carburetor ice.
Captain Richmond took off again for Minneapolis at 6:12 and testified that he encountered no ice or precipitation to an altitude of 3400 feet. Between 3400 and 4500 feet a light glaze icing condition existed and from 4500 feet to 6000 feet a moderate glaze ice condition existed. He stated that he was contact up to 6000 feet with the base of the overcast estimated at 7000 feet. He cruised at 4000 feet and encountered a light glaze icing condition for a distance of 43 miles northwest of Chicago.
