Western Air Express Flight 7 facts for kids
A Boeing 247 similar to the plane that crashed.
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 12, 1937 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Place | Los Pinetos Peak, near Saugus and Newhall, California |
| Passengers | 10 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Survivors | 8 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 247D |
| Airline/user | Western Air Express |
| Registration | NC13315 |
| Flew from | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Flying to | Burbank, California |
Western Air Express Flight 7 was a regular flight that carried passengers from Salt Lake City to Burbank, California. On January 12, 1937, this flight crashed near Newhall, California. The plane was a Boeing 247D, which had two engines. It crashed around 11:00 a.m. because of bad weather. There were 13 people on board: 3 crew members and 10 passengers. Sadly, 5 people died in the crash. One of them was Martin Johnson, a famous adventurer and filmmaker.
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What Happened to Flight 7?
The Boeing 247D was flying from Salt Lake City. It was getting ready to land at the Union Air Terminal in Burbank, California. However, the weather was very bad. There was heavy rain and thick fog, making it hard to see.
The pilot, William L. Lewis, suddenly saw a mountain ridge right in front of the plane. To try and make the crash less severe, he quickly turned off the engines. He then tried to land the plane flat onto the hillside. This is sometimes called "pancaking."
The Crash Site
The plane first hit the ground with its left wing. It then slid along the side of the mountain for about 125 feet. It finally stopped, facing the opposite direction from where it hit. The crash happened at 3,550 feet high. This was near the top of Los Pinetos, which is the tallest mountain nearby.
People on Board
There were 13 people on Western Air Express Flight 7. This included 3 crew members and 10 passengers.
Fatalities and Injuries
One passenger died right away. Three more passengers and the co-pilot, C. T. Owens, died within a week. Martin Johnson, the famous filmmaker, also died from a head injury while in the hospital.
Martin Johnson's wife, Osa, was also on the plane. She was hurt with back and neck injuries. Even though she was injured, she continued their lecture tours from her wheelchair.
Survivors of the Crash
Eight people survived the crash. One of the survivors was a 25-year-old passenger. He managed to walk five miles down the mountain. There, he met rescuers who were looking for the crash site. These rescuers were from the Olive View Sanitarium.
Why Did the Crash Happen?
The United States Department of Commerce investigated the accident. They wanted to find out why Flight 7 crashed.
They found that the main reasons for the crash were the bad weather conditions. Also, the pilot decided to fly too low. He did this without knowing exactly where the plane was.
