What happened
On December 29, 1951, Flight 44-2 was scheduled to travel from Miami, Florida, to Buffalo, New York, with a stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Following a mechanical delay in Miami, the aircraft departed at 15:40. The flight arrived in Pittsburgh at 21:15, where 24 passengers disembarked and 29 new passengers, including one infant, boarded. To avoid further delays caused by the late arrival, the crew decided to fly the aircraft directly from Pittsburgh to Buffalo without an additional stop.
The aircraft departed Pittsburgh at 21:47 under a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan. The takeoff weight was recorded at 40,26<0xA0>35 pounds, which remained below the maximum certificated gross weight of 45,000 pounds. At 21:52, the crew made its final radio communication to the Pittsburgh Tower. When the aircraft failed to reach Buffalo by its scheduled arrival time, a search operation was launched.
On December 31, wreckage was discovered in a dense forest near Little Valley, New York. A survivor reached a nearby farmhouse to alert authorities, reporting that the impact had occurred at approximately 22:25 on December 29, roughly 38 minutes after departing Pittsburgh. The accident resulted in fatalities among those on board.
Findings
Investigation into the crash determined that the primary factor was the pilot's decision to fly using visual references despite encountering instrument weather conditions. Several contributing factors were identified:
- The flight operated under a VFR flight plan while IFR conditions actually existed along the route between Pittsburgh and Buffalo.
- The aircraft was flying at an altitude lower than the minimum required for night VFR operations.
- At the time of the accident, the plane was approximately 11 miles east of its intended course, operating in conditions with nearly zero visibility and no cloud ceiling.