Robin Airlines crash site 1952

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Date / Time: Friday, April 18, 1952 / 3:34 a.m.
Operator / Flight No.: North Continent Airlines (Robin Airlines) / Flight 416W
Location: Puente Hills, near Whittier, Calif.

Details and Probable Cause: The North Continent Airlines twin-engine Curtiss C-46F-1CU aircraft (N8404C) was on a flight from New York City to Burbank, having made intermediate stops at Chicago, Illinois; Kansas City, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; Amarillo, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona.

Due to poor visibility and fog at Burbank, the flight was diverted to Los Angeles International Airport. The airliner was on an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to LAX with its landing gear extended when the left wheel of the plane struck a fog-shrouded ridge at 1,046 feet in an undeveloped area of the Puente Hills near Turnbull Canyon.

The aircraft plowed down an embankment, careened across a ravine and crashed against a steep hillside, exploding into flames. All 26 passengers and the crew of three were killed.

Officials attributed the crash to the pilot’s voluntary descent below the minimum altitude for which he was cleared. As a result, the plane was flying too low to clear the hill.

Several hours after the crash the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) in Washington D.C. grounded Robin Airlines (which was doing business as North Continent Airlines) with an emergency suspension founded “on an operating history involving violations of Civil Air Regulations and the Civil Aeronautics Act, and by accidents to aircraft operated by the company.”

A CAA spokesman noted that the company, while operating under the Robin Airlines name, had allegations of more than 40 violations listed against it, including charges of overweight planes, demanding and excessive flying time for crews, and failure to use approved seats and safety belts.

It later surfaced that the pilot in command of the airplane involved in the Puente Hills crash, Captain Lewis R. Powell, was flying with a restricted medical certificate.

Fatalities: 29 -- all 26 passengers and the crew of 3.

aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19520418-0
www3.gendisasters.com/california/5517/near-whittier-ca-...