Lake Central Flight 527
Encyclopedia
Lake Central Flight 527 was a regularly scheduled flight from Chicago, Illinois to Detroit, Michigan
, with stops at Lafayette, Indiana
, Cincinnati, Ohio
, Columbus, Ohio
, and Toledo, Ohio
. Operated by one of the company's Convair 580's, on March 5, 1967, the flight crashed near Marseilles, Ohio
, with the loss of all 38 passengers and crew onboard.
The aircraft was serviced in Columbus, and departed at 1952H for Toledo. At 2005H the flight was cleared by air traffic control to descend from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet as it approached Toledo. Air traffic control requested that the flight report its descent, and to report crossing 8,000 and 7,000 feet. The crew acknowledged leaving 10,000 feet. This was the last transmission from the aircraft.
Witnesses in the vicinity of Marseilles, Ohio reported hearing sounds from an aircraft at times between 2005H and 2010H. Some reported sounds like an engine "revving up". Shortly thereafter the sound of an explosion was reported.
By 2100H the authorities had confirmed that an aircraft had crashed in the area. Rain mixed with snow was reported at the time of the accident.
The aircraft was equipped with a flight data recorder
. It was able to be read, having sustained no damage in the crash. Approximately 14 minutes after departing Columbus, the aircraft was on a heading of 322 degrees, when it abruptly veered right 40 degrees, and then left 55 degrees, as which point power to the recorder was abruptly terminated. The cockpit voice recorder
lost power at the same time, though right before power loss a sound described by investigators as "the first few seconds of an air raid siren" was heard.
The aircraft had crashed in a farm field, on a heading of 360 degrees. The front fuselage had been separated from the main part of the aircraft, and debris was recovered from a 1.5 mile long, 1/2 mile wide trail on a heading of 135 degrees from the main wreckage. The right propeller was completely detached from the engine, as were the blades. In reconstructing the wreckage, the investigators revealed that the right propeller had separated in-flight and severed the fuselage.
During manufacture, propeller pistons, which control the pitch of the propellers, are coated through a process called nitriding, which hardens them and makes them more resistant to surface wear. They are supposed to be inspected to make sure the process is completed. While it is not known why the propeller on N73130 was not nitrided or failed inspections, the fact remains that it was, and was installed on N73130. During the life of the engine, the piston had been slowly wearing away. During the flight, the piston finally failed, causing the propeller to over-speed. The propeller subsequently failed due to overstress, 1 to 2 seconds later. When the propeller failed, the blades were hurled through the cabin, severing control cables as well as the structural integrity of the plane itself. The investigators determined that the crash was solely caused by the propeller defect and subsequent failure.
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, with stops at Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
, Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. Operated by one of the company's Convair 580's, on March 5, 1967, the flight crashed near Marseilles, Ohio
Marseilles, Ohio
Marseilles is a village in Wyandot County, Ohio, United States. The population was 124 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Marseilles is located at ....
, with the loss of all 38 passengers and crew onboard.
Synopsis
On March 5, 1967, Lake Central Flight 527 was scheduled from Chicago, Illinois to Detroit, Michigan. The flight, operated by one of the company's Convair 580 aircraft, left Chicago at 1704H and proceeded normally to Lafayette, Cincinnati, and Columbus. No problems were reported.The aircraft was serviced in Columbus, and departed at 1952H for Toledo. At 2005H the flight was cleared by air traffic control to descend from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet as it approached Toledo. Air traffic control requested that the flight report its descent, and to report crossing 8,000 and 7,000 feet. The crew acknowledged leaving 10,000 feet. This was the last transmission from the aircraft.
Witnesses in the vicinity of Marseilles, Ohio reported hearing sounds from an aircraft at times between 2005H and 2010H. Some reported sounds like an engine "revving up". Shortly thereafter the sound of an explosion was reported.
By 2100H the authorities had confirmed that an aircraft had crashed in the area. Rain mixed with snow was reported at the time of the accident.
Cause
The aircraft was found to be loaded within normal limits, and the crew was found to be properly qualified for the flight, with no deficiencies reported.The aircraft was equipped with a flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
. It was able to be read, having sustained no damage in the crash. Approximately 14 minutes after departing Columbus, the aircraft was on a heading of 322 degrees, when it abruptly veered right 40 degrees, and then left 55 degrees, as which point power to the recorder was abruptly terminated. The cockpit voice recorder
Cockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
lost power at the same time, though right before power loss a sound described by investigators as "the first few seconds of an air raid siren" was heard.
The aircraft had crashed in a farm field, on a heading of 360 degrees. The front fuselage had been separated from the main part of the aircraft, and debris was recovered from a 1.5 mile long, 1/2 mile wide trail on a heading of 135 degrees from the main wreckage. The right propeller was completely detached from the engine, as were the blades. In reconstructing the wreckage, the investigators revealed that the right propeller had separated in-flight and severed the fuselage.
During manufacture, propeller pistons, which control the pitch of the propellers, are coated through a process called nitriding, which hardens them and makes them more resistant to surface wear. They are supposed to be inspected to make sure the process is completed. While it is not known why the propeller on N73130 was not nitrided or failed inspections, the fact remains that it was, and was installed on N73130. During the life of the engine, the piston had been slowly wearing away. During the flight, the piston finally failed, causing the propeller to over-speed. The propeller subsequently failed due to overstress, 1 to 2 seconds later. When the propeller failed, the blades were hurled through the cabin, severing control cables as well as the structural integrity of the plane itself. The investigators determined that the crash was solely caused by the propeller defect and subsequent failure.