Background
Peninsular Air Transport Common Carriage Flight 17K was scheduled to depart from Boeing Field and terminate at Newark, New Jersey, with intermediate refueling stops. The assigned crew consisted of Captain W. J. McDougall, First Officer F. C. Hall, and Steward J. O. Adams. Third pilot Edward McGrath, deadheading to Miami, Florida, occupied the jump seat with no crew duties. The flight was scheduled to depart at 2030 but was delayed due to heavy snowfall during the afternoon and early evening of November 17, which delayed passenger arrivals and necessitated removal of snow from the aircraft before departure. At 2332, the flight taxied to runway 13, holding off the runway behind other flights. During this time, the crew completed pre-takeoff checks and received an IFR clearance instructing a right turn after takeoff and climb on the northwest course of the Seattle Range to 5,000 feet MSL.
Accident Sequence
Takeoff was initiated at 2358 and appeared normal as the landing gear retracted and the right turn was begun. When approximately 300-400 feet above the ground, the first reduction of power from takeoff to normal rated power was made, and about five of the 15 degrees of flaps extended were retracted. At this time, the No. 4 propeller surged and engine RPM increased to about 2,800. Unable to reduce the RPM of No. 4 by reducing its power, an attempt was made to feather the propeller, which also was unsuccessful. As the aircraft began to descend, takeoff power was reapplied to engines 1, 2, and 3, and power from No. 4 was further reduced. This action did not reduce the RPM of No. 4, which surged again and increased to more than 3,000. The aircraft veered to the right and continued to descend. Realizing that a crash-landing was imminent, Captain McDougall reduced airspeed until the aircraft was nearly stalled and applied full power to all four engines. The aircraft continued to settle, then struck a telephone pole and several trees before crash-landing in a nose-high attitude.
Response and Casualties
Fire and rescue equipment was dispatched from both the Seattle Fire Department and the Seattle-Tacoma Airport. Units arrived promptly and provided first aid to survivors. The fire that followed the crash was quickly extinguished, but not before extensive property was burned and the aircraft was nearly consumed. One crew member and 27 passengers were killed.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was the excessively high drag resulting from the improperly indexed propeller blades and inability to feather. These conditions were the result of a series of maintenance errors and omissions. Specific findings included: the No. 4 propeller dome retaining nut was not tightened sufficiently, permitting oil to leak around the dome seal; the leaking oil resulted in a lack of oil for reducing RPM or feathering the No. 4 propeller; poor maintenance procedures, omissions during maintenance, and lack of proper inspection were evident in the maintenance work performed by Seattle Aircraft Repair, Inc.; improper indexing of the No. 4 propeller blades occurred during work at Seattle; propeller drag from the overspeeding No. 4 propeller was greatly increased by incorrect blade indexing, making continued flight difficult if not impossible; and the aircraft was unairworthy following the Seattle maintenance work.