Transport: Official Reticence

When a United Air Lines transcontinental airliner crashed last month on a 10,000 ft. peak of the Uinta Mts. 51 miles east of Salt Lake City, killing 19, a Bureau of Air Commerce Investigating Board was en route to the scene before rescuers reached the shattered ship (TIME, Oct. 25 et seq.). Last week, in record time, their verdict was reached. It did not specifically mention “pilot error,” did little to dispel the belief of many airmen that Earl Woodgerd, a notably careful pilot, believed all was well and he was safe on his course up to the moment he flew full speed into the mountainside. The verdict: “It is the opinion of the Investigating Board that the probable cause of this accident was a combination of the following three factors: 1) Static conditions encountered in the last portion of the flight which rendered the reception of radio range signals unintelligible. 2) The continuation of the flight into mountainous country at an altitude below the higher mountains without the aid of ground visibility or radio signals to definitely identify position. 3) A change in the weather caused by the approach of an unpredicted cold front.” In spite of this official reticence, members of the board “unofficially” hinted to reporters that they believed the pilot was to blame.