What happened
On April 5, 1952, a cargo aircraft was performing the second leg of a scheduled flight originating from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After making routine stops in Charleston, South Carolina, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, the crew updated their destination to New York International Airport (Idlewild) due to deteriorating weather conditions at Teterboro. The flight proceeded under instrument flight rules toward Idlewild, with an estimated arrival time of 0810.
Upon approaching the airport, the aircraft was cleared for a straight-in approach. The crew descended through 2,500 feet and 2,000 feet as instructed. At approximately 0825, the flight reported contact over the outer marker. The local controller provided instructions to turn toward Runway 13L. However, at 0827, the controller observed the aircraft at an estimated altitude of 500 feet, appearing to pass over the airport area near the hangars.
When the controller queried the crew regarding their turn, the pilot reported that the aircraft was climbing to execute a missed approach. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft crashed at the intersection of 169th Street and 89th Avenue in Jamaica, New York, approximately 4.4 miles north of the control tower. There were 2 fatalities among the crew.
Findings
Investigation into the accident determined that the aircraft experienced a loss of control during the attempted missed approach. The primary contributing factor was a sudden engine failure resulting from a deteriorated fuel feed valve diaphragm in the left engine. This component had not been replaced during the previous engine overhaul as required by maintenance protocols.
During the application of power for the missed approach, the faulty diaphragm caused the left engine to surge and intermittently cut out. Operating in turbulent air under instrument conditions, the crew was unable to maintain control as the aircraft entered a rapid, nose-down right slip with characteristics of a spin, leading to the impact.