What happened
On the morning of the accident, two Douglas DC-4 aircraft were conducting scheduled six-month instrument competency checks in the San Francisco Bay area. The first aircraft, operated by Overseas National, departed Oakland Airport at 08:20. On board were three crew members, including a pilot in command, a trainee, and an observer. The second aircraft, operated by California Eastern, departed Oakland at 09:35 with two pilots and a mechanic on board.
Both flights were performing maneuvers under simulated instrument conditions using cockpit hoods to restrict the trainees' visibility. The safety pilots in the right seats were responsible for maintaining visual lookout for other traffic. At approximately 10:13, both aircraft approached the Oakland low frequency radio range station at an altitude of 3,000 feet. The Overseas National flight was traveling on a magnetic heading of 124 degrees, while the California Eastern flight was on a heading of 75 degrees.
As the two aircraft converged, neither crew performed evasive maneuvers. The vertical stabilizer of the Douglas DC-4 operated by California Eastern struck the right side of the fuselage of the Overseas National aircraft. Following the impact, the Overseas National plane crashed out of control onto Doolittle Drive, a highway adjacent to the airport. The crash resulted in 3 fatalities among the crew of the Overseas National aircraft and caused several injuries to motorists on the ground due to fire.
The California Eastern aircraft remained controllable after losing portions of its vertical stabilizer and rudder. After requesting an emergency landing, the crew diverted to San Francisco Airport, where they landed safely at 10:21.
Findings
- Both aircraft were conducting instrument training with hoods installed to prevent trainees from seeing outside.
- The collision occurred because the safety pilots failed to observe and avoid the other aircraft.
- The Overseas National flight had an observer on board, but the California Eastern flight lacked a qualified observer to ensure adequate visibility.