United Air Lines Flight 615 facts for kids
The wreckage and remains of the accident aircraft.
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | August 24, 1951 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Place | near Decoto, California, United States |
| Passengers | 44 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 50 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-6B |
| Aircraft name | Mainliner Omaha |
| Airline/user | United Airlines |
| Registration | N37550 |
| Flew from | Boston |
| 1st stopover | Hartford, Connecticut |
| 2nd stopover | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 3rd stopover | Chicago |
| Last stopover | Oakland, California |
| Flying to | San Francisco |
United Air Lines Flight 615 was a flight that traveled across the United States. It started in Boston and made stops in cities like Hartford, Cleveland, and Chicago. Its final destinations were Oakland and San Francisco.
On August 24, 1951, the plane flying this route crashed. It was a Douglas DC-6 aircraft. All 44 passengers and 6 crew members on board died in the accident.
What Happened?
The flight left Chicago late at night, at 10:59 p.m. CST. It was heading towards Oakland, California. Around 4:16 a.m., the plane was getting ready to land in Oakland.
The pilot, Marion W. Hedden, spoke with the airport's control tower. He was preparing for his landing and did not report any problems. At 4:25 a.m., Flight 615 was given permission to fly straight in for its landing.
This message was the last time anyone heard from the flight. The plane crashed into a mountain area about 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Oakland. It hit Tolman Peak and then fell down a slope into Dry Gulch Canyon. The crash caused a large explosion and fire. Sadly, all 50 people on the plane died.
Why Did It Crash?
After the crash, investigators looked into what happened. They found that the pilot did not follow the correct procedures for landing the plane using instruments. These procedures help pilots land safely, especially when they cannot see clearly.
Instead, the pilot tried to land by looking outside the window. He also used a device called an automatic direction finder (ADF) from the copilot's side. This caused the plane to go about 3 miles (4.8 km) off its path. It also flew much lower than it should have been, below 3,500 feet (1,067 m). These mistakes led to the plane hitting the mountain.
See also
In Spanish: Vuelo 615 de United Airlines para niños
