How a Wrong Decision and Ego Cost 85 Lives

Braniff Flight 352 was flying from Houston to Dallas when the crew encountered severe thunderstorms and chose a route through an area of dangerous weather. The aircraft later broke apart in flight.

The Weather Ahead

Flight 352 departed Houston at 16:11 and climbed to Flight Level 200. About 25 minutes into the flight, the crew encountered severe thunderstorm activity and requested a descent and a westward deviation.

Air traffic control advised that other aircraft were deviating to the east. The Braniff crew nevertheless believed the western side of the weather looked safer and received clearance to continue the deviation and descend.

The Upset

The aircraft was later cleared to descend to 5,000 feet. At 16:47, while encountering severe weather including hail, the crew requested and received clearance for a 180-degree turn.

During the right turn the Electra entered a violent upset. It rolled beyond 90 degrees, pitched down approximately 40 degrees and experienced about 4.35 g during the attempted recovery.

Structural Failure

The right wing failed while the aircraft was at approximately 6,750 feet. The Electra broke apart and crashed in flames near Dawson, Texas.

All 85 occupants were killed.

Why the Accident Happened

The investigation concluded that the aircraft structure was overstressed during the attempted recovery from an unusual attitude induced by thunderstorm turbulence. The decision to penetrate known severe weather was central to the sequence.

The NTSB investigation provides a much more precise reconstruction than the dramatic wording of the incident title. The aircraft was N9707C, the route was Houston to Dallas, and the accident occurred about one mile east of Dawson, Texas, at approximately 16:48 CDT.

The NTSB report gives the accident a precise location, aircraft registration and time, and its findings make the weather decision central to the flight sequence. The structural breakup followed the extreme loading during the attempted recovery.

Accident Facts

Timeline

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