24 November 1959

Aviation, , , , , , , ,
Trans World Airlines’ Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation N102R at Frankfurt, Germany, 1959. (Erich Marek)

24 November 1959: At 5:35 a.m., Central Standard Time, Trans World Airlines Flight 595, a Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation freighter, N102R, crashed into a residential area about ¼-mile (0.4 kilometer) to the southeast of Midway Airport (MDW), Chicago, Illinois.

“How disabled plane, whose pilot tried to return to airport, crashed into homes on southwest side in holocaust of destruction.” —Chicago Tribune, Vol. CXVIII, No. 282, Wednesday, 25 November 1959, Page 3, columns 5–8)
(L–R) Auge, Helwig, Watters.

N102R had departed Midway Airport at approximately 5:31 a.m., Central Standard Time (11:31 UTC), en route to Los Angeles, California. The flight crew were Captain Claude Wilbert Helwig, First Officer Delmas Earl Watters, and Flight Engineer Aerion Lyman Auge, Jr.

A weather observation made ten minutes before takeoff reported the sky partially obscured, scattered clouds at 600 feet (183 meters), measured 900 foot (274 meters) overcast; visibility 3 miles (4.8 kilometers), with light rain, fog and smoke. The wind was 10 knots (5.14 meters per second) temperature 39 °F. (3.8 °C.) and dew point 38 °F. (3.3 °C.).

1 minute, 20 seconds after takeoff, the flight crew reported to the control tower that that they had a fire warning for the airplane’s number 2 engine (inboard, left wing) and that they would return to the airport. The tower cleared Flight 595 to land on Runway 31L. [Today, this runway is 31C.] The controller asked if they wanted to use a localizer approach, and received the answer, “I think we’ll make it VFR, OK,” meaning that the crew intended to remain in visual conditions below the overcast.

Ground track of TWA Flight 595, 24 November 1959. (Civil Aeronautics Board)

According to the accident investigation report,

      In the turn to final approach to runway 31 the aircraft banked in excess of 45 degrees during which it developed an excessive rate of sink. When the aircraft reached the tops of the trees its wings were nearly level and its nose was raised in a climbing attitude; however, the descent continued. The wing flaps were being retracted during the last 5 to 10 seconds of the final descent and were found to be symmetrically extended at 24 percent upon impact.

A controller saw the airplane crash into the residential area. The time was established by the time of the power failure caused when the Super Constellation hit the Commonwealth Edison Company power lines.

The three members of the flight crew and 11 people of the ground were killed. Another 11 people were injured.

Investigators found that the number 2 engine had been shut down and its propeller feathered, but there was no evidence of any inflight fire.

The investigative board found the the flight crew’s decision to remain below the clouds was reasonable under the circumstances.

     In anticipation of landing, a gear-down, flap-extended configuration was established on the downwind portion of the traffic pattern. The wing flaps were at least in the takeoff position of 60 percent and had been allowed, presumably to remain so extended since takeoff, because less than one minute had elapsed from the start of the takeoff roll until the fire warning, and at that time the captain planned to return to land. The track over the ground on the “downwind” curved toward the runway. When the aircraft was positioned to start the turn to final approach a sharp turn was needed to avoid overshooting the extended centerline of runway 31L.

     The Board believes the captain attempted such a turn, and in doing so combined a very steep bank with high gross weight ¹ and three-engine aircraft configuration in such a manner that the aircraft entered a regime of flight describable as being on the backside of the power curve. More power and altitude than was available to him was needed to safely recover the aircraft At some point in this turn the captain very probably decided to discontinue the landing approach and attempted to “go-around.” Hence, he called for gear up at or near this same point, but for an unexplained reason the wing flap controls were positioned for flap retraction.

The nose landing gear and left main gear assemblies were found to be in the up position but unlocked, and the right main gear was up and locked. The wing flaps were extended symmetrically at about 24 percent of their full travel. The flap control valve and follow-up mechanism were positioned to raise the flaps. The cockpit flap control lever was found to be about 1/8-inch (3.2 millimeters) aft of the full up position, with the lever bent over 80 degrees to the left. There was no indication that the lever had been forcibly moved fore or aft.

Wreckage of Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation N102R in a hangar at Chicago Midway Airport 25 November 1959. (Civil Aeronautics Board)

The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that the Probable Cause of the accident was

     . . . the maneuvering of the aircraft in a manner that caused it to develop an excessive rate of sink in the turn to final approach.

Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation three-view illustration with dimensions. (Lockheed Aircraft Corporation)

The L-1049 series was 18 feet, 4 inches (5.588 meters) longer than the preceding L-749 Constellation, with cylindrical “plugs” installed fore and aft of the wing. The L-1049H was the final commercial variant of the Super Constellation series. It could be converted from a passenger airliner to an air freighter configuration in a few hours. The L-1049 was 113 feet, 3.7 inches (34.536 meters) long, with a wingspan of 123 feet, 0 inches (37.490 meters), and overall height of 24 feet, 9.5 inches (7.557 meters). The fuselage had a maximum diameter of 11 feet, 7½ inches ( meters).

The total wing area was 1,650 square feet (153.3 square meters). The wings’ leading edges were swept aft 7° 28.7′, while the trailing edges swept forward 3° 13′. They had 7° 36.6′ dihedral.

Factory cutaway Wright Aeronautical Division 988TC18 turbocompound engine. (Aircraft Engine Historical Society)

N102R was powered by four air-cooled, direct-fuel-injected, 3,347.662 cubic-inch-displacement (54.858 liters) Wright Aeronautical Division 988TC18EA3 Duplex Cyclone turbocompound engines with a compression ratio of 6.70:1. The turbocompound engine used captured exhaust gases to drive three Power Recovery Turbines. These PRTs were coupled to the engine’s crankshaft. This system added approximately 450 horsepower to the engine’s total power output.

The 988RC18EA3 had Normal Power ratings of 2,860 horsepower at 2,650 r.p.m. at Sea Level; 2,920 horsepower at 2,650 r.p.m. at 4,800 feet (1,463 meters); 2,450 horsepower at 2,600 r.p.m. at 16,400 feet (4,999 meters). Its Maximum Power ratings were 3,400 horsepower at 2,900 r.p.m. to 4,000 feet (1,219 meters) for Take Off; and 2,600 horsepower at 2,600 r.p.m. at

The engines turned three-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers through a 0.4375:1 propeller gear reduction. The reduction gears were strengthened to support 4,000 horsepower. The Wright 988TC18EA3 was 7 feet, 5.53 inches (2.274 meters) long, 4 feet, 8.59 inches (1.473 meters) in diameter, and weighed 3,640 pounds, ± 1% (1,651 kilograms).15,200 feet (4,633 meters). 115/145-octane aviation gasoline was required.

The L-1049 had a maximum speed for normal operations (VNO) of 260 knots (299 miles per hour/482 kilometers per hour) and a maximum speed (VNE) of 293 knots (337 miles per hour/543 kilometers per hour) up to 11,000 feet (3,353 meters). VNO was reduced by 9 knots, and VNE reduced by 11 knots, for each 2,000 foot (610 meters) increase in altitude above 11,000 feet.

The maximum operating altitude for the L-1049 was 25,000 feet (7,620 meters). Its maximum range was 4,140 miles (6,663 kilometers).

N102R had a manufacture date of 6 June 1957. When it went through a scheduled overhaul 8 March 1959, it had accumulated 3,432:08 hours of flight time.

Claude Wilbert Helwig was born 9 July 1919 in San Francisco, California. He was the son of Henry Wilbert Helwig, a truck driver, and Mina Helwig Borchard. He attended Balboa High School in San Francisco, graduating in 1937.

Helwig enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces 12 March 1941. He had brown hair, gray eyes, a light complexion, was 5 feet, 8 inches (178 centimeters) tall and weighed 133 pounds (60 kilograms). Helwig was honorably discharged 9 March 1943 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant, Air Corps, Army of the United States (AUS), 10 March 1943. he was assigned to in the 14th Troop Carrier Squadron, 61st Troop Carrier Group.

Lieutenant Helwig married Miss Josephine Crull at Crow Creek Township, North Carolina, 20 May 1943. The ceremony was performed by J.W. Johnson, Justice of the Peace.

Following World War II, Helwig remained in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, serving with the rank of captain. He was discharged 1 April 1953. Captain Helwig had been awarded the Air Medal with 13 oak leaf clusters (14 awards). Captain Helwig’s remains were interred at Glen Oaks Memorial Park, Chico, California.

Delmas Earl Watters was born at Estill Springs, Tennessee, 30 November 1922. He was the son of Earl Watters, a locomotive fireman,  and Annabelle Smith Watters.

He attended Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee.

Watters enlisted as an aviation cadet in the United States Navy, 9 December 1942, at Atlanta, Georgia. He entered pre-flight school at Athens, Georgia, 1 May 1942, then underwent flight training at Corpus Christi, Texas. His enlistment was terminated to accept a commission as an ensign, United States Navy Reserve, 26 December 1944.

Ensign Watters married Miss Theda Jeanne McMillan in King County, Washington, 30 December 1945. The ceremony was performed by J. Robert Walter of the Central Presbyterian Church, Seattle, Washington. They later divorced.

Ensign Watters was promoted to the rank of lieutenant (junior grade), 1 January 1947.

Watters later transferred to the United States Air Force with the rank of first lieutenant. During the Korean War, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster (two awards).

Watters married Miss Jean Ruth Cleere at the Chapel of Roses, Pasadena, California, California, 30 December 1951. They would have one son.

First Officer Watters’ remains were interred at the Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum, Altadena, California.

Aerion Lyman Auge, jr., was born 8 June 1924 in Jefferson, Kentucky. He was the son of Aerian Lyman Auge, an electrician, and Isabelle Veronica Jahn Auge.

Auge served in the United States Navy during World War II.

Auge married Yvonne Easton in Pierce County, Washington, 19 April 1946. They would have three daughters. Flight Engineer Auge’s remains were interred at the Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Thanks to TDiA reader George Firis for suggesting this subject. Mr. Firis’s aunt lived in an apartment building that was destroyed.

¹ The computed allowable gross takeoff weight for this flight was 127,400 pounds (57,788 kilograms). At departure, the aircraft weighed 126,606 pounds (57,428 kilograms). The allowable landing weight was 115,000 pounds (52,163 kilograms).

© 2024, Bryan R. Swopes

23 November 2002, 00:49:47 UTC, T minus Zero

Space Flight, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-113) lifts off from LC-39A, 7:49:47 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, 23 November 2002. (NASA)

23 November 2002, 00:49:47 UTC, T minus Zero: Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105) lifted off from Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, on mission STS-113.

The mission commander, Captain James D. Wetherbee, United States Navy, was on his sixth space flight and shuttle pilot Lieutenant Colonel Paul S. Lockhart, United States Air Force, was on his second. Mission Specialist Captain Miguel López-Alegría, USN,  was on his third space flight while Commander John B. Harrington, USN, was on his first.

Flight crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-113), left to right, LCOL Paul S. Lockhart, USAF; CAPT Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, USN; CDR John B. Herrington, USN; CAPT James D. Wetherbee, USN. (NASA)
Flight crew of Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-113), left to right, LCOL Paul S. Lockhart, USAF; CAPT Michael E. López-Alegría, USN; CDR John B. Herrington, USN; CAPT James D. Wetherbee, USN. (NASA)

STS-113 delivered the P1 truss (the Port Side Thermal Radiator Truss), a major structural component of the International Space Station, into orbit, while also carrying the three members of Expedition 6, who were to spend the next four months on board the space station: Captain Kenneth D. Bowersox, USN, was on his fifth space flight; Test Cosmonaut Nikolai Mikhailovich Budarin (Николай Михайлович Бударин), Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA), on his third flight; and Donald R. Pettit, Ph.D., NASA, was on his first. ISS Expedition 5 members Colonel Valery Grigoryevich Korzun (Валерий Григорьевич Корзун), Soviet Air Force, Peggy Annette Whitson, Ph.D., NASA, and Sergei Yevgenyevich Treshchov (Сергей Евгеньевич Трещёв), RSC Energia, having completed their assignments to the ISS, were returned to Earth aboard Endeavour.

Endeavour landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility (LSF), Kennedy Space Center, at 19:38:25 UTC, 7 December 2002. The duration of mission STS-113 was  13 days, 18 hours, 48 minutes, 38 seconds.  Endeavour remained docked with the ISS for 6 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes, 00 seconds. While in orbit, NASA astronauts López-Alegría and Herrington performed three EVAs (Extravehicular Activity, of “space walks”).

Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105) in Earth orbit, photographed from the International Space Station. The P1 Truss is in the open cargo bay. (NASA)
Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105) in Earth orbit, photographed from the International Space Station, 25 November 2002. The P1 Truss is in the open cargo bay. (NASA)

© 2018, Bryan R. Swopes

23 November 1959

Aviation, , , , , , , , , ,
Boeing 720-022 c/n 17907, N7201U. (Boeing)
Boeing 720-022 c/n 17907, N7201U, parked on the taxiway at the south shore of Lake Washington. (Boeing)

23 November 1959: The first Boeing 720 airliner, a 720-022, registered as N7201U, made its first flight at Renton, Washington. The 720 was a development of the 707 and no prototype was built. N7201U was used by Boeing for flight testing and was then delivered to United Airlines, 1 October 1960. The airline named the new 720 Jet Mainliner Capt. F. M. Crismore. Over the next two years, United acquired 29 Boeing 720s.

N7201U was sold to Contemporary Entertainment, owned by singer Bobby Sherman and his manager, Ward Sylvester, in January 1973. It was repainted in a gold and black livery and christened The Starship. As a VIP transport, it was used by such rock bands as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones, Alice Cooper and Elton John. It was last chartered by Peter Frampton.

N7201U was withdrawn from service in 1977 and after being stored for several years, was broken up at Luton Airport near London, England, in 1982.

The Boeing 720 was a variant of the Model 707, intended for short to medium range flights. It had 100 inches (2.54 meters) removed from the fuselage length and improvements to the wing, decreasing aerodynamic drag.

Boeing built 154 720 and 720B airliners from 1959 to 1967.

The Boeing 720 was operated by a flight crew of four and could carry up to 149 passengers. It was 136 feet, 2 inches (41.25 meters) long with a wingspan of 130 feet, 10 inches (39.90 meters) and overall height of 41 feet, 7 inches (12.65 meters). The airplane had an empty weight of 103,145 pounds (46,785 kilograms) and Maximum Takeoff Weight of 220,000 pounds (100,800 kilograms).

The Boeing 720 was powered by four Pratt & Whitney Turbo Wasp JT3C-7 turbojet engines, a civil variant of the military J57 series. The 720B was equipped with the more efficient P&W JT3D-1 turbofan engines. The JT3C-7 was a “two-spool” axial-flow engine with a 16-stage compressor (9 low- and 7 high-pressure stages), 8 combustion tubes, and a 3-stage turbine (1 high- and 2 low-pressure stages). It was rated at 12,030 pounds of thrust (53.512 kilonewtons) for takeoff.

The JT3D-1 was a dual axial-flow turbofan engine, with a 2-stage fan section 13-stage compressor (6 low- and 7 high pressure stages), 8 combustion chambers and a 4-stage turbine (1 high- and 3 low-pressure stages). This engine was rated at 14,500 pounds of static thrust (64.499 kilonewtons) at Sea Level, and 17,000 pounds (75.620 kilonewtons), with water injection, for takeoff (2½ minute limit). Almost half of the engine’s thrust was produced by the fans. Maximum engine speed was 6,800 r.p.m. (N1) and 10,200 r.p.m. (N2). It was 11 feet, 4.64 inches (3.471 meters) long, 4 feet, 5.00 inches (1.346 meters) wide and 4 feet, 10.00 inches (1.422 meters) high. It weighed 4,165 pounds (1,889 kilograms). The JT3C could be converted to the JT3D configuration during overhaul.

The maximum cruise speed was 611 miles per hour (983 kilometers per hour) and maximum speed was 620 miles per hour (1,009 kilometers per hour). Range at at maximum payload was 4,370 miles (7,033 kilometers).

The last flight of a Boeing 720 was on 9 May 2012, when a 720B aircraft used by Pratt and Whitney Canada as a test aircraft was placed in the National Air Force Museum of Canada at Trenton, Ontario.

United Airlines' Boeing 720-022, N7201U. (Unattributed)
United Airlines’ Boeing 720-022, N7201U. The airliner’s name, “Jet Mainliner Capt. F. M. Crismore,” is visible under the cockpit windows. (Bill Larkins via Wikipedia)

© 2018, Bryan R. Swopes

22 November 1989

Space Flight, , , , , ,
Discovery STS-33

22 November 1989: At 7:23:29.986 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (00:23:29.986, 23 November, UTC) Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103) lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, on its ninth flight, STS-33. This was the thirty-second flight of the Space Shuttle Program, and was a classified military mission.

Discovery carried a five person crew: Mission Commander, Colonel Frederick Drew Gregory, United States Air Force, and Shuttle Pilot, Colonel John Elmer Blaha, U.S.A.F., were both on their second space mission. Mission Specialist Franklin Story Musgrave, M.D., was on his third flight. Mission Specialists Captain Manley Lanier Carter, Jr., M.D., U.S. Navy, and Kathryn Ryan Cordell Thornton, Ph.D., were both on their first.

Discovery STS-33 flight crew. Front row, left to right, Dr. Kathryn Thornton, Colonel Gregory and Dr. Story Musgrave. Standing, left to right, Captain Carter and Colonel Blaha. (NASA)

Discovery initially entered an elliptical orbit, but a series of maneuvering burns were used to lift it into a circular orbit at an altitude of 280 nautical miles (322 statute miles/519 kilometers). The secret payload was launched on Discovery‘s seventh orbit and was propelled upward into a geosynchronous orbit.

After 79 orbits, Discovery landed at Edwards AFB on 27 November at 4:30:15.9 p.m., Pacific Standard Time 00:30:15.9, 28 November, UTC). The total duration of the flight was 5 days, 6 minutes, 46.014 seconds.

Discovery STS-33 touches down on Runway 4 at Edwards Air Force Base, 4:30: 00:30:15.9 p.m., PST, 27 November 1989. (Space Facts)

Discovery was carried back to KSC aboard a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, 4 December 1989.

© 2019, Bryan R. Swopes

22 November 1972

Aviation, , , , , , , , , , ,
A Boeing B-52D Stratofortress dropping a load of bombs during the Vietnam War. The B-52D could carry up to 108 MK82 500-pounds bombs. (U.S. Air Force)

22 November 1972: The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers began combat operations in the Vietnam War with ARC LIGHT strikes against enemy troop concentrations and supply lines in June 1965. The B-52s flew so high and fast that they could neither be seen nor heard on the ground. It was more than six years before the first of the eight-engine bombers would be lost to enemy action.

Boeing B-52D-65-BO 55-0110 at U Tapao RTAFB. (U.S. Air Force)
Boeing B-52D-65-BO Stratofortress 55-0110, weapons loading. (U.S. Air Force)
Captain Norbert J. Ostrozny, U.S. Air Force

B-52D-65-BO 55-0110, call sign OLIVE 2, was assigned to the 96th Bombardment Wing, Heavy. It flew combat missions from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and the U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand. On 22 November, -110 was crewed by Captain Norbert J. Ostrozny, aircraft commander; Captain P. A. Foley, co-pilot; Bud Rech, radar navigator; Captain Robert Estes, navigator; Larry Stephens, electronic warfare officer; and Staff Sergeant Ronald W. Sellers, gunner.

Near Vinh, on the central coast of North Vietnam, OLIVE 2 was struck by an exploding S-75 Dvina surface to-air missile (NATO identified the S-75 as the SS-2 Guideline, commonly referred to as a SAM). The S-75 is a Soviet two-stage command-guided surface-to-air anti-aircraft missile. It is 10.60 meters (34 feet, 9.3 inches) long and 0.7 meter (2 feet, 3.6 inches) in diameter. It is liquid-fueled and has a maximum speed of Mach 4 and range of 24 kilometers (15 miles). The missile has a 200 kilogram (441 pound) fragmentation warhead. The loaded weight is 2,300 kilograms (5,071 pounds).

OLIVE 2 was seriously damaged and on fire, and the flight crew turned toward the airfield at U-Tapao.

North Vietnamese missileers prepare an S-75 Dvina (NATO: SA-2 Guideline) for launch. (Popperphoto/Getty Images)

After crossing the Thailand border, Captain Ostrozny ordered the crew to eject from the stricken bomber. All six crewmen escaped the doomed Stratofortress and were later rescued by a Sikorsky HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant search-and-rescue helicopter.

55-0110 crashed 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. It was the first Stratofortress lost to enemy action in more than six years of combat.

Boeing B-52D-30-BW Stratofortress 55-662 crosses the perimeter fence on approach to U-Tapao Airfield, Thailand. OLIVE 2 did not return from its final mission. (U.S. Air Force)
Boeing B-52D-30-BW Stratofortress 55-662 crosses the perimeter fence on approach to U-Tapao Airfield, Thailand, 30 October 1972. OLIVE 2 did not return from its final mission. (National Archives and Records Administration/U.S. Air Force)

The United States Air Force flew more than 125,000 combat sorties with the B-52 from 1966 to 1973. During that time, the bombers delivered 2,949,615 tons of bombs against enemy targets. A total of 31 B-52s were lost. 73 crewmen were killed in action and 33 captured and held as prisoners of war.

My thanks to Colonel Knox Bishop, U.S. Air Force (Retired), for contributing the additional details.

© 2017, Bryan R. Swopes