2014 August 09 - Fourth Expedition

Convair 600 MSN 56 N94230 Photos from our fourth expedition to the crash site in the Ouachita Mountains in SW Arkansas. The airplane collided with the mountain while flying around thunderstorms. The flight originated in Memphis, with several intermediate stops before finally arriving in Dallas. The flight was on the El Dorado to Texarkana leg when the accident occurred. This crash is well-remembered for the last words of Fred Tumlinson, the co-pilot. Just before the collision, he remarked that "The minimum enroute altitude here is forty-four hund...."

This section of center wing was located farther upslope than most of the wing sections.
The ID tag was still riveted. The manufacturer's serial number for the airplane (56) is on the tag, as is a Convair inspection stamp.
Author and pilot Michael McComb taking photographs at the site.
This summer has been a wet one, and the undergrowth was tremendous!
A section of passenger seat with the armrest still attached.
The Trans-Texas Airways tag was still attached.
A section from the nose wheel well, with the inspection window on the left.
Me (Jeff Wilkinson) with the section showing the underside. The utility light for seeing the nose landing gear at night is visible below the window.
A badly accordioned piece speaks to the violence of the crash.
Section of passenger seat.
I noticed more of these Trans-Texas ID tags this trip than I had before.
The top of the main entry door is still on its hinges with the structure on the upper right forward section of fuselage.
This photo, by Bob Poleneczky (used on the website with permission) shows that aircraft in the livery used by TI before the red/white/blue scheme.
Some remnants of that earlier paint scheme can be seen where the later paint has flaked away.
And inside the door frame.
Before the airplane was re-engined to become a 600, it was equipped with two Pratt and Whitney R2800-34W radial engines. This line was used to deliver ADI, a mixture of water and methanol, to the radials for greater power output.
The twisted section of fuselage crown. It's actually complete from the dorsal fin to a point even with the forward entry door, and also contains the aft entry door.
This gave me pause when I saw it. In previous visits, I hadn't seen any seat assemblies with melted aluminum from the post-crash fire.
The co-pilot's control column.
Details of the lower end of the column.
View of the bearing on the lower end of the column.
The terminal strip may be severely corroded, but you can still read the wire numbers.
#2 (right) propeller assembly.
I believe this is from the co-pilot's side, but I'm still looking for a photo to confirm that.
The underside of the same piece. I had originally picked it up to examine the capacitor on the end to the right.
Interior piece with a wiring bundle.
A switch and what looks to me to be the remains of a couple of relays.
Fuselage crown, aft end. The aft entry door (on the left side of the airplane) can be seen.
Galley storage bin.
As I've visited the site over the years, I look for evidence of where humans have disturbed it. If you look at the photos from our earliest visits, it's evident that the crown has been flipped over, revealing the cabin interior.
Jennifer lending scale to the fuselage crown piece. The battered dorsal fin is prominent in the center of the photo.
An overview of the entire section.