BCPA Flight 304
Encyclopedia
British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines
(BCPA) Flight 304/44 was a Douglas
DC-6 named Resolution and registered VH-BPE, on a flight from Sydney, Australia, to Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada, with scheduled stops at Nadi
(Fiji
), Canton Island, Honolulu
and San Francisco
. It crashed during its initial approach towards San Francisco International Airport
on October 29, 1953, killing all 19 people on board, including the American pianist William Kapell
.
The aircraft was flying the Honolulu - San Francisco leg with a crew of 8 and 11 passengers (10 adults and 1 child). Captain Bruce N. Dickson (aged 34) and his crew took over the plane in Honolulu as scheduled. The estimated flying time was 9 hours and 25 minutes. Dickson and his First Officer, Frank A. Campbell (aged 28), each had several thousand hours of flight time in a DC-6. Both pilots had made more than 100 approaches into San Francisco Airport, many of which were actual instrument approach
es. The weather in the San Francisco area presented no adverse flight conditions; however, visual reference with the ground was precluded by the overcast foggy conditions and an instrument approach was required.
and to maintain at least 500 feet (152.4 m) on top of clouds, which the flight acknowledged. At 8:15 a.m., the flight reported that it was starting descent and at that time was given the San Francisco weather report. Just after 8:21 a.m. ARTC cleared the flight to the San Francisco Instrument Landing System
(ILS) Outer Marker beacon
via the Half Moon Bay Fan Marker direct to the San Francisco Outer Marker, with instructions to maintain at least 500 feet (152.4 m) above all clouds and to contact San Francisco Approach Control after passing the Half Moon Bay Fan Marker. At 8:39 a.m., the flight called San Francisco Approach Control and advised that it was over Half Moon Bay
, 500 feet (152.4 m) on top of clouds. Approximately three minutes later, the flight reported “Southeast, turning inbound”. At 8:45 a.m., a call to the flight was unanswered as were all subsequent calls.
The landing gear was down and locked at impact. There was no evidence of mechanical or structural failure prior to the impact. The accident site was between the Half Moon Bay Fan Marker and the ILS Outer Marker and it appears that the flight did not maintain at least 500 feet (152.4 m) on top of clouds between these points but had descended in weather conditions which precluded reference to the ground. In addition, the flight had reported being over the Half Moon Bay Fan Marker at 8:39 a.m. and then “Southeast, turning inbound” at about 8:42 a.m. In this time interval it would not have been possible for the flight at normal speed to have flown from the Half Moon Bay Outer Marker to the ILS Outer Marker, make the required turn and return to the site of the crash in accordance with Civil Aeronautics Authority approved instrument approach procedure. Thus it was likely that when the pilot reported he was “Southeast, turning inbound”, he was in fact southwest of the airport. The investigation then stated that it was probable that the captain, after reporting that he was over Half Moon Bay, either saw the terrain momentarily through an unreported break in the overcast foggy conditions or because of a radio navigation
al error became convinced that his position was farther northeast and started to descend over what he believed was the proper area.
It was therefore concluded that the probable cause of the crash was the failure of the crew to follow prescribed procedures for an instrument approach.
On December 3, 2008, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District agreed to install a memorial plaque near the crash site at the junction of the Fir & Vista Point trails, just below the park's Vista Point. This location was significant because it was the location where a military H-19 'Chickasaw' recovery helicopter landed on the day of the crash. Over fifty people attended the plaque's dedication on June 27, 2009, including the sister-in-law of William Kapell, and George Bordi, a local resident of the day who saw the plane fly overhead in 1953.
British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines
British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines or BCPA, was an airline registered in New South Wales, Australia in June 1946 with headquarters in Sydney. It was formed by the governments of Australia , New Zealand and the United Kingdom to pursue trans-Pacific flights...
(BCPA) Flight 304/44 was a Douglas
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
DC-6 named Resolution and registered VH-BPE, on a flight from Sydney, Australia, to Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada, with scheduled stops at Nadi
Nadi
Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Indian or Fijian, along with a large transient population of foreign...
(Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
), Canton Island, Honolulu
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
and San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. It crashed during its initial approach towards San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is a major international airport located south of downtown San Francisco, California, United States, near the cities of Millbrae and San Bruno in unincorporated San Mateo County. It is often referred to as SFO...
on October 29, 1953, killing all 19 people on board, including the American pianist William Kapell
William Kapell
William Kapell was an outstanding American pianist who was killed in the crash of a commercial airliner.-Biography:...
.
The aircraft was flying the Honolulu - San Francisco leg with a crew of 8 and 11 passengers (10 adults and 1 child). Captain Bruce N. Dickson (aged 34) and his crew took over the plane in Honolulu as scheduled. The estimated flying time was 9 hours and 25 minutes. Dickson and his First Officer, Frank A. Campbell (aged 28), each had several thousand hours of flight time in a DC-6. Both pilots had made more than 100 approaches into San Francisco Airport, many of which were actual instrument approach
Instrument approach
For aircraft operating under instrument flight rules , an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft under instrument flight conditions from the beginning of the initial approach to a landing, or to a point...
es. The weather in the San Francisco area presented no adverse flight conditions; however, visual reference with the ground was precluded by the overcast foggy conditions and an instrument approach was required.
Events leading up to crash
As the flight neared the California coast, the flight contacted San Francisco Air Route Traffic Control (ARTC). At 8:07 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, it was cleared to descend in accordance with Visual Flight RulesVisual flight rules
Visual flight rules are a set of regulations which allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better than basic VFR weather minimums, as specified in the rules of the...
and to maintain at least 500 feet (152.4 m) on top of clouds, which the flight acknowledged. At 8:15 a.m., the flight reported that it was starting descent and at that time was given the San Francisco weather report. Just after 8:21 a.m. ARTC cleared the flight to the San Francisco Instrument Landing System
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
(ILS) Outer Marker beacon
Marker beacon
A marker beacon is a particular type of VHF radio beacon used in aviation, usually in conjunction with an instrument landing system , to give pilots a means to determine position along an established route to a destination such as a runway...
via the Half Moon Bay Fan Marker direct to the San Francisco Outer Marker, with instructions to maintain at least 500 feet (152.4 m) above all clouds and to contact San Francisco Approach Control after passing the Half Moon Bay Fan Marker. At 8:39 a.m., the flight called San Francisco Approach Control and advised that it was over Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....
, 500 feet (152.4 m) on top of clouds. Approximately three minutes later, the flight reported “Southeast, turning inbound”. At 8:45 a.m., a call to the flight was unanswered as were all subsequent calls.
Investigation and probable cause of crash
The Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the accident. The investigation began immediately after locating the wreckage in the mountainous area southwest of San Francisco, about seven and a half miles southeast of the town of Half Moon Bay. The aircraft was almost entirely destroyed by impact and ensuing fire. It had initially topped several large redwood trees, shearing off one of its landing gear and leaving it hung-up in an oak, continued across a narrow ravine and crashed against the side of a steeply rising slope approximately half a mile beyond the first tree strike. The main wreckage area was at about 1950 feet (594.4 m) above Mean Sea Level.The landing gear was down and locked at impact. There was no evidence of mechanical or structural failure prior to the impact. The accident site was between the Half Moon Bay Fan Marker and the ILS Outer Marker and it appears that the flight did not maintain at least 500 feet (152.4 m) on top of clouds between these points but had descended in weather conditions which precluded reference to the ground. In addition, the flight had reported being over the Half Moon Bay Fan Marker at 8:39 a.m. and then “Southeast, turning inbound” at about 8:42 a.m. In this time interval it would not have been possible for the flight at normal speed to have flown from the Half Moon Bay Outer Marker to the ILS Outer Marker, make the required turn and return to the site of the crash in accordance with Civil Aeronautics Authority approved instrument approach procedure. Thus it was likely that when the pilot reported he was “Southeast, turning inbound”, he was in fact southwest of the airport. The investigation then stated that it was probable that the captain, after reporting that he was over Half Moon Bay, either saw the terrain momentarily through an unreported break in the overcast foggy conditions or because of a radio navigation
Radio navigation
Radio navigation or radionavigation is the application of radio frequencies to determine a position on the Earth. Like radiolocation, it is a type of radiodetermination.The basic principles are measurements from/to electric beacons, especially...
al error became convinced that his position was farther northeast and started to descend over what he believed was the proper area.
It was therefore concluded that the probable cause of the crash was the failure of the crew to follow prescribed procedures for an instrument approach.
Aftermath of the crash
Red Cross volunteers and emergency personnel, including what would become the first forensic investigation team in the United States, recovered bodies and wreckage, as well as put out three forest fires started by the crash. The Redwood City Armory was used by the sheriff's department as a make-shift morgue.Resolution Trail
Today, the crash site is part of the El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve, which includes the "Resolution Trail", named for the plane. Park rules restrict visitors to the trail and visitors are also requested to respect this historical site by leaving any artifacts where they find them.On December 3, 2008, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District agreed to install a memorial plaque near the crash site at the junction of the Fir & Vista Point trails, just below the park's Vista Point. This location was significant because it was the location where a military H-19 'Chickasaw' recovery helicopter landed on the day of the crash. Over fifty people attended the plaque's dedication on June 27, 2009, including the sister-in-law of William Kapell, and George Bordi, a local resident of the day who saw the plane fly overhead in 1953.
External links
- Check-Six.com - The Crash of BCPA Flight 304 - Includes full crew & passenger list
- flightoftheresolution.org - Flight 304 history, photographs, memorial information