CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT
ZANTOP AIR TRANSPORT, INC.
CURTIS C-46F, N 616Z
PUYALLUP, WASHINGTON
FEBRUARY 16, 1963
SYNOPSIS
Zantop Air Transport, Inc., LOGAIR Flight 60-16, a Curtiss C-46F, N 6163, crashed following an attempt to land on runway 17 at Thun Field, near Puyallup, Washington, at 1826 P.s.t., February 16, 1963. Both crew members survived the crash but were severely injured. There were no other occupants. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and post-impact fire.
An engine malfunction seven minutes after takeoff from McChord AFB, Washington, was followed by an unsuccessful attempt to feather the propeller and by intermittent overspeeding. During an attempted go-around from the landing approach the pilot lost control of the aircraft and crashed in a pasture approximately one-half mile northeast of Thun Field.
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the improper handling of an emergency situation, precipitated by a mechanical malfunction, which resulted in an unsuccessful single engine go-around.
A contributing factor was the failure of Radar Approach Control to provide complete, accurate airfield data to the pilot.
Investigation
Logair[1] Flight 60-16 originated at Hill AFB, Utah, February 16, 1963, and was scheduled to return to Hill AFB via. Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon; McChord AFB, Washington; and Malmstrom AFB, Montana.
Captain Keith R. Stone and First Officer D. Henschel of Zantop Air Transport, Inc., operated Flight 60-16 in a Curtiss C-46F aircraft N 616Z, from Hill AFB, and arrived at McChord AFB at 1619[2] February 16, 1963.
Captain Stone stated that the flight was routine and no mechanical discrepancies were noted or recorded in the flight log. No maintenance was performed at McChord MAFB. The aircraft flew 9:50 hours on February 16, 1963, prior to its arrival at McChord AFB. The last recorded discrepancies concerning the copilot's sliding window, and the main hydraulic system accumulator pressure, were corrected before the aircraft left Hill AFB.
