Northwest Airlines accident near Almelund

The Northwest Airlines accident near Almelund occurred on 13 October 1950 on a Northwest Airlines training flight departing from and returning to Minneapolis, which was operated with a Martin 2-0-2 N93037. All six occupants of the aircraft died in the accident, which was caused by a propeller malfunction that led to the crash.

Flight history and sequence of the accident

The aircraft took off at 9:46 local time on the training flight. The purpose of the flight was to check Captain John R. Galt in instrument flying. Check captain Ray F. Render was tasked with monitoring the flight. Flawless visual flight conditions prevailed. After takeoff, two simulated ILS approaches were carried out. At 10:25 the crew informed air traffic control that this phase of the check flight had been completed. This was the last radio contact made between the aircraft and air traffic control. After the aircraft had flown over the airspace around Minneapolis, it was next sighted near Center City, Minnesota, a small town 43 miles northwest of Minneapolis. At that time, the aircraft was said to have been flying a sharp left turn at an altitude of about 4,000 to 5,000 feet with the landing gear extended. At the end of this turn, a shallow climb was said to have been initiated. The engine sounds during these manoeuvres were said to have been normal. The eyewitness said he had looked away from the aircraft for a few moments. When he saw the aircraft again, it was in a steep dive at an excessive bank angle. After the aircraft had lost about 2,500 feet of altitude, it was first recovered, brought into level flight and flown on in a northeasterly direction. Shortly afterwards, the aircraft made two or three pitching movements about its lateral axis. These manoeuvres could have been a consequence of the abrupt loss of altitude and the recovery of the aircraft. During each of the pitching movements, the aircraft lost about 400 feet of altitude and the engine noise sounded as if the engines were overspeeding. The aircraft then continued in a northwesterly direction.

Accident investigation

Two miles south of Almelund, Minnesota, which lies 14 miles northeast of Center City, the aircraft flew a shallow right turn of approximately 270 degrees and returned once again to level flight on a northwesterly heading. During these manoeuvres the aircraft continuously lost altitude, and eyewitnesses were able to observe that the right propeller was turning slowly during the last part of the flight. Near Almelund and at a height of about 500 to 600 feet above the ground, the aircraft went into a steep right turn. Altitude was lost rapidly, and after turning about 90 degrees the right wing of the aircraft struck the ground. All but one of the six occupants were killed on impact; the injured person died several days later without having regained consciousness.