Adopted: October 11, 1943

File No. 1695-43

REPORT OF THE CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD

on the

Investigation of an Accident Involving Aircraft During a Cross-County Pleasure Flight

Lowell Newton Clyne and his passenger, Fred Sloan, were failure injured in an accident which occurred near Kinsey, Missouri, at approximately 7:20 a.m. on May 9, 1943. Clyne held a private pilot certificate with a Class 2S land rating and had flown about 1956 solo hours, of which approximately 3 were in the type of aircraft involved. In the three months proceeding the accident he had flown only 6 hours. Salon was not certificated as an airman. The aircraft, a Culver LCA, NC 41704, owned by Nelson E. Weber, was demolished.

Clyne received proper clearance and, accompanied by Sloan, took off from Mt. Vernon, Illinois at about 6:45 a.m. on a cross-country flight to Springfield, Missouri. He neither requested nor received weather information prior to his depurate. At approximately 7:20 a.m. three witnesses residing about 4 3/4 miles northeast of Kinsey, observed the plane flying at an altitude of about 25 feet over houses and tree tops. These witness stated that almost immediately thereafter the plan dived to the ground, crashing on a wooded hillside nearby. According to unofficial reports weather conditions at the time were: Ceiling 200 feet, visibility 3/8 mile, light rain and fog, wind SW 7 miles per hour.

Examination of the wreckage revealed no indication of failure of any part of the aircraft prior to report. The manner in which propeller was broken indicated that considerable power was being developed when the plane struck the hillside. Dual controls were installed and operative. The aircraft was not equipped for instrument flying and carried no radio equipment. Terrain in the vicinity of the accident rises very abruptly and is about 200 feet higher than Mt. Vernon the point of take-off.

Had the pilot requested weather information for his intended route, which was over rugged mountainous terrain, he would have learned that the weather would not permit contact flight. St. Louis, Missouri,  north of his course, was overeast, ceiling 200 feet, visibility 3/3 mile, foggy; while Springfield, his destination  226 miles distant, as overeast 500 feet, visibility 5 miles, rain and fog, wind SE 27 m.p.h.

The primary cause of this accident was Clyne’s poor judgment in attempting a cross-counter contact flight without first ascertaining the weather along his intended route, and in continuing the flight then he encountered weather conditions far below the minimum for contact flight.

BY THE BOARD

/s/ Fred A. Toombs

Secretary