ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS:
November 16, 1979. The Nevada Airlines Martin 404 (N40438) had been chartered to fly 41 French tourists to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, Nevada. Flight 2504 departed at 9:35 AM and after an en-route tour of the canyon landed at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. After deplaning, the passengers proceeded on their four hour ground tour of Grand Canyon's south rim viewpoints. At 2:40 PM, the passengers returned to the airport and boarded the Martin for their return flight to Las Vegas.
At 2:50 PM, the aircraft departed from Runway 3 with First Officer James "Newt" Swain at the controls. Immediately after raising the landing gear, a loss of power from the left engine was sensed. Captain William Blewett took control of the aircraft from Swain and noticed that the left engine propeller autofeather light was illuminated and the autofeather button depressed.
After passing the end of the runway, the aircraft encountered a downdraft which overcame the single engine climb performance of the aircraft. The airspeed had decreased and the temperature of the right engine cylinder head was rising rapidly toward the maximum limit so Captain Blewett elected to reduce the manifold pressure to avoid a possible engine failure. The inability of the aircraft to climb and the proximity of the rising terrain required the crew to return the right engine to full power and select a forced-landing area. The Martin collided with trees 7,531 feet past the end of Runway 3. The aircraft was destroyed by post-impact fire.
The cause(s) for the unwanted autofeather of the left propeller was never determined.
By all accounts this accident should have resulted in multiple fatalities. Had the circumstances been less favorable, the accident could have been the second worst aviation disaster at Grand Canyon. However, by luck and to the credit of the entire flightcrew, all 44 passengers and crew survived the crash landing, post impact fire, and successful evacuation.
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HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
Today the area surrounding the crash site of Nevada Airlines Flight 2504 remains relatively unchanged since 1979. The aircraft came down in one of the very few open areas in the vicinity of the airport. Any other location and the aircraft would have been ripped apart as it descended through the combination of pine trees and rocky terrain.
A defined line of small debris marks a path the aircraft made as it traveled across the clearing, smashing into trees and rocks along the way. A few burned tree trunks remain on-site that still contain embedded aircraft structure. A defined burn area is evident where the aircraft finally came to rest and burned. The area is littered with a small amount of passenger personal effects, aircraft structure and components.
It is always refreshing to research and visit a crash site in which no one was killed. Unfortunately, there are very few of these "happy landings" in this rugged region.
November 16, 1979. The Nevada Airlines Martin 404 (N40438) had been chartered to fly 41 French tourists to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, Nevada. Flight 2504 departed at 9:35 AM and after an en-route tour of the canyon landed at the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. After deplaning, the passengers proceeded on their four hour ground tour of Grand Canyon's south rim viewpoints. At 2:40 PM, the passengers returned to the airport and boarded the Martin for their return flight to Las Vegas.
At 2:50 PM, the aircraft departed from Runway 3 with First Officer James "Newt" Swain at the controls. Immediately after raising the landing gear, a loss of power from the left engine was sensed. Captain William Blewett took control of the aircraft from Swain and noticed that the left engine propeller autofeather light was illuminated and the autofeather button depressed.
After passing the end of the runway, the aircraft encountered a downdraft which overcame the single engine climb performance of the aircraft. The airspeed had decreased and the temperature of the right engine cylinder head was rising rapidly toward the maximum limit so Captain Blewett elected to reduce the manifold pressure to avoid a possible engine failure. The inability of the aircraft to climb and the proximity of the rising terrain required the crew to return the right engine to full power and select a forced-landing area. The Martin collided with trees 7,531 feet past the end of Runway 3. The aircraft was destroyed by post-impact fire.
The cause(s) for the unwanted autofeather of the left propeller was never determined.
By all accounts this accident should have resulted in multiple fatalities. Had the circumstances been less favorable, the accident could have been the second worst aviation disaster at Grand Canyon. However, by luck and to the credit of the entire flightcrew, all 44 passengers and crew survived the crash landing, post impact fire, and successful evacuation.
***********************************************************************************************************************************
HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
Today the area surrounding the crash site of Nevada Airlines Flight 2504 remains relatively unchanged since 1979. The aircraft came down in one of the very few open areas in the vicinity of the airport. Any other location and the aircraft would have been ripped apart as it descended through the combination of pine trees and rocky terrain.
A defined line of small debris marks a path the aircraft made as it traveled across the clearing, smashing into trees and rocks along the way. A few burned tree trunks remain on-site that still contain embedded aircraft structure. A defined burn area is evident where the aircraft finally came to rest and burned. The area is littered with a small amount of passenger personal effects, aircraft structure and components.
It is always refreshing to research and visit a crash site in which no one was killed. Unfortunately, there are very few of these "happy landings" in this rugged region.
The webbing material of this seatbelt strap is in decent condition and not burned.
Evidence of a very hot fire is shown with this nodule of melted aircraft aluminum.
Fragments of window plexiglas from the passenger cabin.
A few fragments of the aircraft's anti-collision beacon were located near the burn area.
The rotating anti-collision beacon on the Martin 404 is located on the lower fuselage just behind the main landing gear.
Since the passengers were on a one day sightseeing tour, most of their luggage was probably left at the hotel in Las Vegas. These discarded shoes were probably thrown from passenger's feet during the crash landing.
Fragments of women's high heel shoes.
Holding a piece of cabin window plexiglas at the burn area.
Difficult to say for sure, but these aviator style Ray Ban sun glass frames may have belonged to one of the seriously injured pilots. They sure look like they went through a hard impact.
A Sylvania "Blue-Dot" flash bulb from a passenger's film camera. These flashcubes as they were called were popular on point and shoot film cameras in the 1970s. The days before built-flash cameras.
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