a ,
1947 about 1.5 miles SE of
Bryce Canyon Airport , killing all 5 crew members and 47 passengers on board.
CAB Report Summary from Aviation Safety Network
United Flight 608 departed from Los Angeles, California, on a routine flight to Chicago, Illinois. At 12:21 p.m., the plane radioed that there was a fire in the baggage compartment which they could not control, with smoke entering into the cabin. The flight requested an emergency clearance to Bryce Canyon Airport, Utah, which was granted. As the aircraft descended, pieces of the plane, including portions of the right wing, started to fall off and one of the emergency flares on the wing caught fire as well. At 12:27 p.m., the last radio transmission was heard from the plane: "We may make it - approaching a strip." However, just a minute or two from landing, the fire burned through the fuselage, causing the tail to separate from the aircraft. The airliner crashed onto National Park Service land, killing all 52 passengers and crew on board.
Among the victims on board the plane were
Jeff Burkett , a rookie punter for the
Chicago Cardinals .
The cause of the accident was a design flaw. A cabin heater intake scoop was positioned too close to the number 3 alternate tank air vent. The crew allowed a tank to be overfilled during a routine fuel transfer between wing tanks, which led to several gallons of excess fuel being sucked into the cabin heater system, which then ignited the fuel. This caused the fire which destroyed the aircraft.
The Civil Aeronautics Board found the causes the design flaw, inadequate training of the crew about the danger, and the failure of the crew to halt the fuel transfer before the tank overflowed.
The UAL 608 crash led to the temporary grounding of all DC-6 aircraft while corrective modifications were made on the fuel tank and heater air intake venting systems to prevent any similar incidents from occurring.
United flight 608 is now operated on Chicago (ORD) to Washigton D.C (DCA) route.
Current United Airlines World Timetable (PDF)
