MacArthur Airport Disaster (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The MacArthur Airport disaster occurred on 4 April 1955 when a United Airlines Douglas DC-6, named Mainliner Idaho, crashed shortly after taking off from Long Island MacArthur Airport, in Islip, New York, United States. The aircraft, registration number N37512, was performing an instrument ratings check flight, when, shortly after taking off, the aircraft began banking to the right. Seconds after climbing through 150 feet, the aircraft turned through 90 degrees, causing the nose to drop suddenly, before it impacted with the ground. A subsequent investigation found that the flight crew were simulating an engine failure, which involved a member of the crew pulling back the throttle lever for No. 4 engine prior to taking off. Investigators found that if the throttle lever was pulled back too far, however, it would cause the propeller to reverse-a feature designed to slow the aircraft upon landing.