Viewing page 127 of 127

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Mr. L. R. Baldwin - 2      September 4, 1947

    In our digging into this temperature effect on airplanes, we were astounded to find that for each degree rise in temperature above standard, which is 59 degrees, there was a load effect on the airplane of two hundred to two hundred fifty pounds per degree. I believe, in your case, this would have added another five thousand to seven thousand pounds. 
    
    All in all, we found that you were overloaded anywhere from twelve thousand to eighteen thousand pounds as the engineers cannot agree on the exact effects. It has been further pointed out to the CAA-CAB that the pilots were never informed of this matter of temperature effect on airline aircraft, and that you, as well as any of the rest of us, could have felt perfectly safe in doing what you and we have been told the "T" Category would take care of. 

    Through the use of the figures that we were able to get in figuring the average of what you were overloaded, unknown to you, the stopping distance for a start-stop operation of the "T" Category would have been short twelve hundred fifty feet on the runway. I believe this would be pretty close to the point where you stopped. 
 
    I want to assure you that you may put your mind at ease as to your responsibility in connection with this. Any of us would have done the same thing. Also you may feel assured that your tragedy has not been in vain and that through your experience, we have accomplished things that we have been fighting for years and may prevent such accidents from happening in the future. 

Sincerely yours,

AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION

(S) H. B. Cox

H. B. Cox
Pilot Representative
President's Special Board of Inquiry on Air Safety

HBC/g