View source for TWA Flight 3

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{short description|1942 DC-3 crash in SW Nevada}}
{{Infobox Airliner accident
| Name            = TWA Flight 3
| image           = Douglas DC-3 FAA (4653317638).jpg
| caption         = A Douglas DC-3, similar to the accident aircraft
| Date            = January 16, 1942
| Type            = [[Controlled flight into terrain]] due to [[pilot error]]
| occurrence_type = Accident
| Site            = [[Potosi Mountain (Nevada)|Potosi Mountain]], [[Nevada]], U.S.
| coords          = {{coord|35.9510|N|115.4914|W|region:US-NV_type:event|display=inline,title}}
| Fatalities      = 22
| Injuries        = 
| Origin          = [[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| Stopover0       = [[Indianapolis, Indiana]], U.S.
| Stopover1       = [[St. Louis, Missouri]], U.S.
| Stopover2       = [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], U.S.
| Stopover3       = [[Nellis Air Force Base|Las Vegas Airport]], [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]], U.S.
| Destination     = [[Burbank, California]], U.S.
| Aircraft Type   = [[Douglas DC-3]]
| Operator        = [[Trans World Airlines|Transcontinental and Western Air]]
| Tail Number     = NC1946
| Occupants       = 22
| Passengers      = 19
| Crew            = 3
| Survivors       = 0|
}}

'''TWA Flight 3''' was a twin-engine [[Douglas DC-3|Douglas DC-3-382]] [[propliner]], registration NC1946, operated by [[Trans World Airlines|Transcontinental and Western Air]] (TWA) as a scheduled domestic passenger flight from [[New York City|New York]], [[New York (state)|New York]], to [[Burbank, California]], in the United States, via several [[Layover|stopover]]s including [[Las Vegas]], [[Nevada]].<ref name=cab/> On January 16, 1942, at 19:20 [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]], fifteen minutes after takeoff from Las Vegas Airport (now [[Nellis Air Force Base]]) bound for Burbank, the aircraft was destroyed when it crashed into a sheer cliff on [[Potosi Mountain (Nevada)|Potosi Mountain]], {{convert|32|mi}} southwest of the airport, at an elevation of {{convert|7,770|ft|abbr=on}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19420116-0 |title=ASN accident record |publisher=ASN |access-date=October 6, 2023}}</ref> All 22 people on board, including movie star [[Carole Lombard]], her mother, Clark Gable's press agent, Otto Winkler, three crew members, and 15 U.S. Army soldiers died in the crash. The [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB) investigated the accident and determined that the cause was a navigation error by the [[pilot in command|captain]].<ref name=cab/>

==Flight history==
[[File:TWA 1940.jpg|thumb|left|A TWA DC-3 [[propliner]] being serviced for a flight]]
[[Trans World Airlines|Transcontinental and Western Air]] (TWA) Flight 3 was flying a transcontinental route from [[New York City]] to [[Burbank, California]], with multiple intermediate stops, including [[Indianapolis]], [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Albuquerque]], and [[Las Vegas]].<ref name=cab/>

On the morning of January 16, 1942, at 4:00 local time, actress [[Carole Lombard]], her mother, [[Clark Gable]]'s press agent, and her [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] press agent boarded Flight 3 in Indianapolis. Lombard, eager to meet her husband Clark Gable in [[Los Angeles]], was returning from a successful [[Liberty bond|war bond]] promotion tour in the [[Midwest]], where she had helped raise over $2 million.<ref name=lvmerc>{{cite news |url=http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2003/MERC-Mar-06-Thu-2003/20815964.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427034731/http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/2003/MERC-Mar-06-Thu-2003/20815964.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-04-27 |work=Las Vegas Mercury |date=March 6, 2003 |title=Tales of Vegas Past: The death of Carole Lombard}} (archived)</ref>
[[File:Carole Lombard 1940.jpg|thumb|[[Carole Lombard]]]]
Upon arrival in Albuquerque, Lombard and her companions were asked to surrender their seats for the continuing flight segment to make room for fifteen [[United States Army Air Corps]] personnel flying to California. Lombard insisted that because of her war bond efforts she was also essential, and she convinced the station agent to let her group reboard the flight. Other passengers were removed instead, including violinist [[Joseph Szigeti]].<ref name=lvmerc/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,932289,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211174353/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,932289,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 11, 2008 |title=CATASTROPHE: End of a Mission |date=January 26, 1942 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=4 Gave Seats In Death Plane To Army Fliers |date=January 17, 1942 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=Greeley Daily Tribune |location=Greeley, Colorado |page=1 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102725410/4-gave-seats-in-death-plane-to-army-flie/ |via=newspapers.com |accessdate=May 28, 2022}}</ref> The original flight crew was replaced by a new crew at Albuquerque. A refueling stop was planned at [[Winslow, Arizona]], because of the higher passenger load and forecast headwinds. However, in the air the new captain decided to proceed directly to Las Vegas.<ref name=cab/>

After a brief refueling stop at Las Vegas Airport (now [[Nellis Air Force Base]]), the plane took off on a clear, [[New moon|moonless]]<ref>[http://www.calendar-12.com/moon_calendar/1942/january Moon Phases Calendar for January, 1942], ''Calendar-12.com'', retrieved February 1, 2018</ref> night for its final leg to Burbank. Fifteen minutes later, flying almost {{cvt|7|mi}} off course, it crashed into a near-vertical cliff on [[Potosi Mountain (Nevada)|Potosi Mountain]] in the [[Spring Mountains|Spring Mountain range]] at {{cvt|7770|ft}}, about {{cvt|80|ft}} below the top of the cliff and {{cvt|730|ft}} below the summit, killing all aboard.<ref name=cab/>

==Investigation==
[[File:Twa3fp.jpg|thumb|right|Flight plan form of Flight 3 showing [[Course (navigation)|magnetic course]] from [[Nellis Air Force Base|Las Vegas airport]] (LQ) of 218° at {{cvt|8000|ft}}, which leads to high terrain. The captain's signature at the bottom is missing.]]  
The accident was investigated by the [[Civil Aeronautics Board#Civil Aeronautics Authority|Civil Aeronautics Board]] (CAB). Eyewitness and other evidence suggested that Flight 3 proceeded from its departure at Las Vegas along essentially a straight line, 10° right of the designated [[Airway (aviation)|airway]], into high terrain that rose above the flight altitude of {{convert|8000|ft|abbr=on}}.{{efn|According to the CAB report, the crash point was {{cvt|6.7|mi}} northwest of the center line of the airway, which was the southwest leg of the Las Vegas radio range.}} This indicated to investigators that the crew was not using [[radio navigation]] to follow the airway (defined by the [[Low frequency radio range|low frequency range]]), which would have provided them safe obstacle clearance, but was instead using a [[Course (navigation)#Aircraft heading|compass heading]].{{efn|According to the CAB report, on July 15, 1941, the [[Civil Aeronautics Administration (United States)|Civil Aeronautics Administration]] (CAA) sent TWA and other airlines an advisory notice "suggesting that pilots be instructed to confine their flight movements, day or night, contact or instrument, to the actual on-course signal of the radio ranges serving the airway involved". Two days later, TWA's Chief Pilot "incorporated this notice verbatim and requested pilots to be guided accordingly". The CAB cites this "failure of the [captain] to comply with TWA's directive" as a contributing cause.}} Visibility was generally good, but since most [[Airway beacon|airway light beacons]] had been [[Blackout (wartime)|turned off]] because of the ongoing [[World War II|Second World War]] they were not usable, although one important beacon was operating normally.<ref name=cab/>{{efn|According to the CAB report, the one operating beacon in the area, referred to as "Arden beacon 24" (see diagram), was located 2.5 miles to the right of the airway. Had the crew used it as reference and passed to its left, the accident would have been avoided. The CAB speculated that the captain either ignored the beacon, or incorrectly assumed that it was centered on the airway, passing well to its right and into high terrain.}}

[[File:TWA3.png|thumb|left|Actual flight path (red) of TWA 3 from departure to crash point: Blue line shows the nominal Las Vegas course, while green is a typical course from Boulder City. "Arden beacon 24", which was operating normally, was either ignored or misused by the captain.<ref name=cab/>]]
[[File:Lombard engine.jpg|thumb|Unrecovered [[Wright R-1820 Cyclone|Wright Cyclone radial engine]] at the TWA Flight 3 crash site (October 2007)|alt=Rusted disk-shaped obviously damaged radial engine lying flat on the ground]]
A key piece of evidence was the [[flight plan]] form, completed by the [[first officer (aviation)|first officer]] in Albuquerque (but not signed by the [[pilot in command|captain]], despite a company requirement to do so). On the form, the planned outbound magnetic course from Las Vegas was listed as 218°, which is close to the flight path actually flown by the crew to the crash point.{{efn|The course flown to the crash point was 215° magnetic.}} Since this course, flown at 8,000&nbsp;ft, is lower than the terrain in that direction (which rises to about {{convert|8500|ft|abbr=on}}), the board concluded that it was clearly an error. The board speculated that because both pilots had flown to Burbank much more frequently from [[Boulder City Airport]] than from Las Vegas,{{efn|Boulder City Airport (BLD) at that time, also called Bullock Airport, is now decommissioned. It was located just north of the modern [[Boulder City Municipal Airport]] (61B).}} and that from Boulder City an outbound magnetic course of 218° would have been a reasonable choice to join the airway to Burbank, the crew likely inadvertently used the Boulder City outbound course instead of the appropriate Las Vegas course. Boulder City was not used as a refueling point on this trip as it had no runway lighting. To test its hypothesis, the CAB asked to review some other completed TWA flight plan forms for flights between Albuquerque and Las Vegas. The CAB members were surprised to discover a form from another flight that had also specified the same incorrect 218° outbound course from Las Vegas. TWA's chief pilot testified that the course written on that form was "obviously a mistake".<ref name=cab/>
The CAB issued a final report with the following probable cause statement:<ref name="cab">{{cite web |url=https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33052 |title=Final report of January 16, 1942 accident involving NC1946, Docket No. SA-58, File No. 119-42. |date=July 16, 1942 |publisher=Civil Aeronautics Board |access-date=June 1, 2021}} – [https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33052/dot_33052_DS1.pdf PDF] [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CAB_Accident_Report,_TWA_Flight_3_(January_1942).pdf Alt URL]</ref>
<blockquote>Upon the basis of the foregoing findings and of the entire record available at this time, we find that the probable cause of the accident to aircraft NC 1946 on January 16, 1942, was the failure of the captain after departure from Las Vegas to follow the proper course by making use of the navigational facilities available to him.</blockquote>

The CAB added the following contributing factors:<ref name=cab/>
* The use of an erroneous compass course
* Blackout of most of the beacons in the neighborhood of the accident made necessary by the war emergency
* Failure of the pilot to comply with TWA's directive of July 17, 1941, issued in accordance with a suggestion from the Administrator of Civil Aeronautics requesting pilots to confine their flight movements to the actual on-course signals

==Conspiracy==
In the 2013 book ''My Lunches with Orson'', [[Orson Welles]] claims that he had been told by a security agent that Flight 3 was shot down by [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] agents who knew of the route in advance.<ref name="Orson">{{Citation |last=Jaglom |first=Henry |title=My Lunches With Orson |publisher=Metropolitan |date=2013 |pages=63–64 |isbn=978-0-8050-9725-2}}</ref> He also claimed that news of the shooting was kept quiet to prevent vigilante action against [[German Americans|Americans of German ancestry]].<ref name="Orson"/> Neither claim was confirmed.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Fireball: Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 |last=Matzen |first=Robert |publisher=GoodKnight Books |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-9962740-9-8 |location=Pittsburgh |pages=322}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft]]
*[[September 1949 Mexicana DC-3 crash]] that killed Mexican actress [[Blanca Estela Pavón]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|TWA Flight 3}}
{{wikisource|Aviation Accident Report: TWA Flight 3 (January 1942)|TWA Flight 3 - Investigation Report - Civil Aeronautics Board}}
*[http://lostflights.smugmug.com/gallery/5007934_3mUMB LostFlights] – Aviation Archaeology site
*[https://www.birdandhike.com/Hike/Red_Rocks/Lombard/_Lombard.htm Location of crash site] – on www.birdandhike.com
*[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zM1YAAAAIBAJ&sjid=negDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5673%2C5802685 Names of those aboard the aircraft] via Google newspapers &nbsp; (scroll down to mid-page)
*[https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/crash-that-killed-actress-carole-lombard-21-others-near-las-vegas-still-echoes-after-75-years/ Crash 75th anniversary] via ''[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]'' &nbsp; (also available [https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/crash-that-killed-actress-carole-lombard-21-others-near-las-vegas-still-echoes-after-75-years/ archived])
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1942}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 1940s}}
{{TWA}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:TWA Flight 003}}
[[Category:1942 in Nevada]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain]]
[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-3]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents in Nevada]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1942]]
[[Category:Events in Clark County, Nevada]]
[[Category:January 1942 in the United States]]
[[Category:Trans World Airlines accidents and incidents|3]]