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November 12, 1948

Mr. Robert V. Chrisp
Chief of Hearing & Reports Division
Civil Aeronautics Board
Washington 25, D.C.

Dear Mr. Chrisp:

On behalf of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, I would like to summarize the facts and data gleaned at the hearing at Oakledge Manor, Burlington, Vermont, October 8, 1948, pertaining to the air line accident involving Colonial Airlines trip number three of September 20, 1948, at Burlington Airport, Burlington, Vermont. 

The hearing brought out the following facts:

That the runway length at Burlington is barely long enough (thirty-six hundred feet); and

That there is a normal tendency to land deep down the runway when landing to the North; and

That the normal point of touchdown is approximately one thousand feet up the runway; and

That although the runway may be long enough for a landing under good conditions and during daylight hours it becomes hazardous as soon as weather or nightfall enters into the picture; and

That the terrain to the South of the North-South runway creates a normal tendency to approach rather high; and

That there was an unusual amount of rainfall at Burlington Airport just prior to the time of the accident; and

That during the period of greatest rainfall, there was a precipitation of four hundredths of an inch between 11:22 A.M. and 11:34 A.M. EST. The time of the accident was 11:43 A.M. EST.