A cargo ship crashed on August 1, 1943 in St. Louis
| A cargo ship crashed on August 1, 1943 in St. Louis | |
|---|---|
 An identical cargo glider |
|
| Accident summary | |
| Accident type | Structural failure |
| place | Lambert St. Louis Flying Field , USA |
| date | August 1, 1943 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Waco CG-4A |
| operator | United States Army Air Forces |
| Passengers | 8th |
| crew | 2 |
| Lists of aviation accidents | |
When a cargo glider of the type Waco CG-4A crashed on August 1, 1943, all ten occupants were killed during an air show at the Lambert St. Louis Flying Field .
the accident
The Waco CG-4A, manufactured under license by the St. Louis- based Robertson Aircraft Corporation, was to be demonstrated to around 5000 visitors as part of a public flight day at Lambert Field. The brand-new cargo glider had previously completed a test flight that ran smoothly. In addition to two military pilots, there were eight VIP guests on board, including the Mayor of St. Louis, William Dee Becker, and the founder and chairman of the Robertson Aircraft Corporation , William B. Robertson.
During the demonstration flight, the Waco CG-4 was towed by a Douglas C-47 to an altitude of around 600 meters (2000 feet ) . Immediately after the pilots disconnected the cable connection to the tow plane, the right wing bent upwards and separated from the fuselage. The glider then fell vertically. All ten occupants were killed in the impact.
The wing was torn off due to faulty or weak connecting bolts. These were manufactured by a supplier to Robertson Aircraft Corporation .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ GenDisasters.com
- ↑ Record of the crash
- ↑ Recording of the occupants before the crash
- ^ ASME: The Flying Coffins of World War II , accessed February 19, 2017
