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pilot himself, who freely admitted under oath that "I *** was getting my nose down a little bit, and I was ready to trim it up and prepare for my let down when the impact occurred." The testimony of Witness West, therefore, is not only unsupported in the record but must fall before the weight and character of the other evidence.
Weather Conditions
Ceiling and visibility were unlimited throughout the day in the area of the accident. Winds aloft and on the surface were light except that relatively strong northerly winds prevailed at l5,000 feet and above. Turbulence is common in the area concerned either during strong winds through San Gorgonio Pass or in unstable air, but as the winds were light to well above the mountain and stable air existed, there appears to have been little likelihood of anything but very mild turbulence existing at the times of the collision.
In View of these conditions it appears that the Weather was not a contributing factor to this accident.
Examination of the Wreckage
The wreckage of the Airliner was found approximately two miles west of the Army Airport at Palm Springs and about three miles south of the center of the airway. Parts of the aircraft were scattered over on area about two miles from the main portion of the wreckage. The impact with the ground and subsequent fire resulted in such extensive damage to the aircraft that little could be learned from an examination. During the descent, the entire tail assembly was torn loose from the fuselage.
