North Central Airlines Flight 458
Encyclopedia
On December 27, 1968, North Central Airlines
Flight 458 (N2045) crashed into a hangar
while attempting a night landing in poor weather at O'Hare International Airport
in Chicago, Illinois
, in the United States
. Of the 41 passengers and 4 crew, only 17 passengers and one crew member survived. One person was killed and six injured on the ground.
, Minnesota
, and stopped at Wausau
, Green Bay
, Manitowoc
, and Milwaukee
, Wisconsin
, before terminating at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. On December 27, 1968, the flight left Minneapolis on schedule at 4:15 p.m. CST, and made its intermediate stops without incident, although delays caused by weather and baggage handling meant that by the time it departed General Mitchell International Airport
in Milwaukee at 7:48 p.m. CST for the final leg of its flight to Chicago it was running 62 minutes behind schedule.
At 8:14 p.m. CST, the aircraft began its approach to O'Hare, which had a 200-foot (61-m) ceiling
with light rain and fog and runway visibility varying from 2,800 to 4,500 feet (853 to 1,372 m). The plane made a normal approach and at 8:20 p.m. CST was cleared to land on Runway 14R. The flight crew acknowledged the clearance message; it was the last communication with Flight 458.
The approach continued normally until about 4,500 feet (1,372m) from the threshold of the runway, when from an altitude of about 210 feet (64 m), the CV-580 began a sustained climb for 11 seconds, after which the captain initiated a go-around procedure. However, the aircraft instead continued to climb; witnesses reported that the engines were running at a high throttle setting and that the aircraft rolled left and right two or three times during this time period. Flight 458 lost speed until it stalled 13 seconds after the initiation of the go-around. The aircraft entered a steep left bank, and its left wing struck the ground about 100 feet (30 m) from a hangar located 1,600 feet (488 m) to the left of the runway. At 8:22:23 p.m. CST, the plane, now nearly inverted, struck the main door of the hangar with its left wing and crashed into the hangar bay.
had completed as a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan on October 8, 1956. It later was converted to CV-580 standard, the conversion being completed on July 10, 1968. As a CV-580, it entered service with North Central Airlines on August 9, 1968. The crash damaged it beyond repair.
– and 24 passengers died in the crash. One crew member (a flight attendant) and 17 passengers survived, all with injuries. Several airline employees as well as members of a boys' drum and bugle corps
group were on the ground in the vicinity of the hangar or in the hangar bay at the time of the crash; none of the airline employees were harmed, but seven of the boys were injured, and one of them died nine days later.
conducted an investigation of the accident that lasted almost 23 months. Its report, released on November 12, 1970, blamed the crash on "Spatial disorientation of the captain precipitated by atmospheric refraction of either the approach lights or landing lights at a critical point in the approach wherein the crew was transitioning between flying by reference to flight instruments and by visual reference to the ground."
The NTSB noted the captain of Flight 458, although experienced, had put in relatively few hours as pilot-in-command in CV-580s and that a captain more experienced in the CV-580 might have recognized the growing danger of a stall sooner and avoided the crash. It recommended that Federal Aviation Administration
regulations be amended to require pilots to have more flying hours and landing experience in a given type of aircraft before being released from “high minima” landing requirements when serving as pilot-in-command in that type.
North Central Airlines
North Central Airlines was founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin. It was headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Early history:...
Flight 458 (N2045) crashed into a hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
while attempting a night landing in poor weather at O'Hare International Airport
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...
in Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Of the 41 passengers and 4 crew, only 17 passengers and one crew member survived. One person was killed and six injured on the ground.
Flight history
Flight 458 was a regularly scheduled flight which originated in MinneapolisMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and stopped at Wausau
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people...
, Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, Manitowoc
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...
, and Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, before terminating at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. On December 27, 1968, the flight left Minneapolis on schedule at 4:15 p.m. CST, and made its intermediate stops without incident, although delays caused by weather and baggage handling meant that by the time it departed General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States....
in Milwaukee at 7:48 p.m. CST for the final leg of its flight to Chicago it was running 62 minutes behind schedule.
At 8:14 p.m. CST, the aircraft began its approach to O'Hare, which had a 200-foot (61-m) ceiling
Ceiling (aeronautics)
With respect to aircraft, a ceiling is the maximum density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions.The word ceiling can also refer to the height of the lowest obscuring cloud layer above the ground.-Service ceiling:...
with light rain and fog and runway visibility varying from 2,800 to 4,500 feet (853 to 1,372 m). The plane made a normal approach and at 8:20 p.m. CST was cleared to land on Runway 14R. The flight crew acknowledged the clearance message; it was the last communication with Flight 458.
The approach continued normally until about 4,500 feet (1,372m) from the threshold of the runway, when from an altitude of about 210 feet (64 m), the CV-580 began a sustained climb for 11 seconds, after which the captain initiated a go-around procedure. However, the aircraft instead continued to climb; witnesses reported that the engines were running at a high throttle setting and that the aircraft rolled left and right two or three times during this time period. Flight 458 lost speed until it stalled 13 seconds after the initiation of the go-around. The aircraft entered a steep left bank, and its left wing struck the ground about 100 feet (30 m) from a hangar located 1,600 feet (488 m) to the left of the runway. At 8:22:23 p.m. CST, the plane, now nearly inverted, struck the main door of the hangar with its left wing and crashed into the hangar bay.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved, N2045, was a Convair CV-580, c/n 369, which ConvairConvair
Convair was an American aircraft manufacturing company which later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft, and went on to produce a number of pioneering aircraft, such as the Convair B-36 bomber, and the F-102...
had completed as a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan on October 8, 1956. It later was converted to CV-580 standard, the conversion being completed on July 10, 1968. As a CV-580, it entered service with North Central Airlines on August 9, 1968. The crash damaged it beyond repair.
Casualties
Three crew members, – the captain, the first officer, and a flight attendantFlight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
– and 24 passengers died in the crash. One crew member (a flight attendant) and 17 passengers survived, all with injuries. Several airline employees as well as members of a boys' drum and bugle corps
Drum and bugle corps
Drum and bugle corps is a name used to describe two forms of marching units.* Drum and bugle corps — such as those organized by Drum Corps International after 1972, Drum Corps Associates, and other similar international organizations...
group were on the ground in the vicinity of the hangar or in the hangar bay at the time of the crash; none of the airline employees were harmed, but seven of the boys were injured, and one of them died nine days later.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety BoardNational Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
conducted an investigation of the accident that lasted almost 23 months. Its report, released on November 12, 1970, blamed the crash on "Spatial disorientation of the captain precipitated by atmospheric refraction of either the approach lights or landing lights at a critical point in the approach wherein the crew was transitioning between flying by reference to flight instruments and by visual reference to the ground."
The NTSB noted the captain of Flight 458, although experienced, had put in relatively few hours as pilot-in-command in CV-580s and that a captain more experienced in the CV-580 might have recognized the growing danger of a stall sooner and avoided the crash. It recommended that Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
regulations be amended to require pilots to have more flying hours and landing experience in a given type of aircraft before being released from “high minima” landing requirements when serving as pilot-in-command in that type.