Date:
14 Nov 1970
Location:
Kenova, Wayne, West Virginia, United States
Surnames/tags:
Marshall University Air Disaster west_virginia
This page has been accessed 669 times.
Southern Airways Flight 932
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Southern Airways Flight 932
We are... Marshall
The purpose of this page is to honor each member and supporter of the 1969-1970 Thundering Herd. The goal is to use genealogical research and provide profiles with full biographies, sources and connecting to the global family tree. We are ...Marshall.
Largest U. S. Sports Air Crash
Southern Airways Flight 932 was a chartered Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 domestic United States commercial jet flight from Stallings Field in Kinston, North Carolina, to Huntington Tri-State Airport near Kenova and Ceredo, West Virginia. At 7:36 pm on November 14, 1970, the aircraft crashed into a hill just short of the Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 people on board.
The flight, chartered to transport the Marshall University football team and boosters from Kinston, North Carolina, to Huntington, West Virginia after playing a football game with Eastern Carolina University. It was rare for the Marshall University football team to travel by air. Most of their away games were fairly local and easily within driving distance. In fact, this was the only flight planned for the entire football season. It almost did not occur due to the weight of the passengers, baggage, and equipment was heavier than the SA 932 could handle. After discussion and negotiation, adjustments were made to reduce the weight of the passengers and baggage and the charter flight was scheduled to fly on November 14, 1970.
Among the passengers were 37 members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team and 9 members of the coaching staff.
For a list of WikiTree Profiles: Category:Southern Airways Flight 932, 14 Nov 1970
Crash Information
- On November 14, 1970, while returning from a football game, 75 people died when a chartered DC-9 impacted into a hill near Kenova, West Virginia.
- The flight, chartered to transport the Marshall University football team and boosters from Kinston, North Carolina, to Huntington, West Virginia, was attempting a nonprecision instrument landing approach to Runway 11 at the time of the accident. The controllers advised the crew that "rain, fog, smoke and a ragged ceiling" were at the airport, making landing more difficult, but possible. The terrain under the approach path was irregular with numerous hills of varying heights.
- The Marshall University players, coaches, boosters and crew killed there represent the deadliest airline disaster in U.S. sports. NTSB theorized water had gotten into flight instruments and caused them to malfunction during adverse weather.
- Per the NTSB, this was a nonsurvivable accident.
- 36 out of 58 Football Players perished
- 5 out of 9 Coaches perished
- 25 Boosters perished
- 5 Crew perished
- Plane total destruction
- A total of six individuals could not be identified.
- There were 18 children who became orphans after losing both parents perished on the SA932 flight.
Investigation
|
| 4,219 ft (1,286 m) short of the runway
|
- Most of the fuselage was melted or reduced to a powder-like substance; however, several large pieces were scattered throughout the burned area. A severe ground fire at the main wreckage site followed impact.
- The main wreckage site was located 4,219 feet from the threshold of The Runway 11, and approximately 225 feet south of the middle marker, aircraft cut a swath 39O below the horizontal through the trees at the wreckage site and came to rest in an inverted attitude.
- The flightpath shows that the aircraft descended through the Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) approximately 2 miles from the end of the runway and that such descent was not corrected in time to avoid impact with the trees.
- The crash occurred following impact with trees on a hill approximately 3/4 mile west of the runway threshold. The elevation of the broken trees at the initial impact site was approximately 922 feet.
Findings
- The crew was properly certificated and qualified for the flight. The aircraft had been maintained in accordance with existing company procedures and the Federal Aviation Regulations. The investigation disclosed no malfunction or failure in the aircraft structure or primary flight controls.
- The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the descent below Minimum Descent Altitude during a nonprecision approach under adverse operating conditions, without visual contact with the runway environment (it was noted that the weather was very bad with low visibility). The Board has been unable to determine the reason for this descent although the two most likely explanations are (a) improper use of cockpit instrumentation data, or (b) an altimetry system error.
- Analysis of aircraft performance data, the flight data recorder, and the cockpit conversation leads to the conclusion that aircraft rotation was initiated approximately 2 seconds after the callout at 400 feet. Rotation took approximately 1.7 seconds. During this 3.7 seconds, the aircraft descended approximately 135 feet.
- The airplane inverted and hit a hollow (holler) nose first. The plane instantly burst into flames.
Memorials
|
| Marshall University Memorial
| A memorial to the victims is at Spring Hill Cemetery, Huntington, West Virginia.
|
|
| Marshall University Student Fountain
| The Memorial Student Center Fountain was dedicated to the memory of the plane crash victims on November 12, 1972, by President John G. Barker. Each year on the anniversary of that fateful day, November 14, a memorial service is held, which includes the traditional laying of the wreath. Then the water is turned off until next spring.
|
Profile Additions
Sample
Stickers
|
... Died in the 1970 Marshall University airplane crash Southern Airways Flight 932 |
- Copy this information to place on every profile added from the tables below:
- [[Category:Kenova, West Virginia]]
- [[Category:Southern Airways Flight 932, 14 Nov 1970]]
- [[Category:Marshall University]]
- ==Biography==
- {{Appalachia Sticker |lived |state= West Virginia|project=yes }}
- {{Occupation |image=Space_Background_I_Sticker_Art-8.png|text=Died in the 1970 Marshall University airplane crash [[Space:Southern_Airways_Flight_932|Southern Airways Flight 932]]}}
- A member of the 1970 Marshall University Thundering Herd who tragically died in an airplane crash.
Victims
- Working from the list on Marshall University Plane Crash Memorial
Flight Crew
|
| Southern Airways Flight 932 Flight Crew who perished on SA Flight #932
|
Coaching Staff
|
| Marshall University Herd Coaches who perished on SA Flight #932
|
Athletic & Football Staff
|
| Marshall University Athletic Staff who perished on SA Flight #932
|
|
| 1969-1970 Thundering Herd
|
Football Player Victims
| Name
| Sourced
| Bio
| Connected
| Category
|
| Jim Adams
|
| Football Player #51 - Offensive Guard
|
|
|
| Mark Andrews
|
| Football Player #61- Offensive Line
|
|
|
| Michael Blake
|
| Football Player #67 - Offensive Guard
|
|
|
| Dennis Michael Blevins (1948-1970)
| Yes
| Football Player #80 - Wide Receiver
| No
| Yes
|
| Willie Bluford Jr (1950-1970)
| Yes
| Football Player #31 - Full Back
| No
| Yes
|
| Larry Brown
|
| Football Player #68 - Defensive Guard
|
|
|
| Thomas Brown
|
| Football Player #65 - Defensive Tackle
|
|
|
| Roger Keith Childers (1949-1970)
| Yes
| Football Player #27
| No
| Yes
|
| Stuart Cottrell
|
| Football Player #43 - Defensive Back
|
|
|
| Richard Lee "Rick" Dardinger (1948-1970)
| Yes
| age 22, Football Player #50 - Center
| Yes
| Yes
|
| David DeBord
|
| Football Player #76 - Offensive Tackle
|
|
|
| Kevin Gilmore
|
| Football Player #24 - Defensive Back
|
|
|
| David Griffith
|
| Football Player #81- Defensive End
|
|
|
| Arthur Wilhelm "Art" Harris (1950-1970)
| Yes
| age 22, Football Player - Running Back
| No
| Yes
|
| Robert "Bob" Harris
|
| Football Player #12 - Quarterback
|
|
|
| Bobby Wayne Hill (1951-1970)
| Yes
| age 20, Football Player - Defensive Back
| No
| Yes
|
| Joe Hood
|
| Football Player #33 - Running Back
|
|
|
| Tom Howard
|
| Football Player #60 - Offensive Tackle
|
|
|
| Marcelo Lajterman
|
| Football Player #23 - Kicker
|
|
|
| Richard "Rick" Lech
|
| Football Player #20 - Quarterback
|
|
|
| Barry Winston Nash (1951-1970)
| Yes
| age 19, Football Player - Tight End
| Yes
| Yes
|
| Patrick Jay "Pat"Norrell (1947-1970)
| Yes
| age 23, Football Player - Offensive Guard
| No
| Yes
|
| Bob Patterson
|
| Football Player #71 - Offensive Tackle
|
|
|
| Scotty Reese
|
| Football Player #83 - Linebacker
|
|
|
| John Anton "Jack" Repasy Jr (~1950-1970)
| Yes
| age ~20, Football Player #82 - Wide Receiver
| No
| Yes
|
| Larry Sanders
|
| Football Player #40 - Defensive Back
|
|
|
| Charles Alan "Al" Saylor
|
| Football Player #88 - Defensive Back
|
|
|
| Arthur Kirk "Art" Shannon (1949-1970)
| Yes
| age 21, Football Player - Linebacker
| No
| Yes
|
| Lionel Theodore "Ted" Shoebridge III (~1950-1970)
| Yes
| Football Player #14 - Quarterback
| No
| Yes
|
| Allen Skeens (1951-1970)
| Yes
| age 19, Football Player #59 - Center
| No
| Yes
|
| Jerry Dodson Stainback Jr (1947-1970
| Yes
| age 23, Football Player #56 - Linebacker
| No
| Yes
|
| Robert James VanHorn (1950-1970)
| Yes
| Football Player #75 - Defensive Tackle
| No
| Yes
|
| Roger Vanover (1950-1970)
| No
| age 20, Football Player #85 - Defensive End
| Yes
| Yes
|
| Freddy Clay Wilson (1951-1970)
| Yes
| Football Player #87 - Tight End
| No
| Yes
|
| John Young
|
| Football Player #86 - Wide Receiver
|
|
|
| Thomas Jonathan "Tom" Zborill (1949-1970)
| Yes
| age 21, Football Player #62 - Defensive Line
| No
| Yes
|
|
Fan / Booster Victims
Fan Victims
| Name
| Sourced
| Bio
| Connected
| Category
|
| Charles M. Arnold
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5F-KDP
| No
| No
|
| Rachel Arnold
| No
| -
| No
| No
|
| Donald Booth
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5F-KK8
| No
| No
|
| Joseph Chambers
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5F-2MH
| No
| No
|
| Shirley Hagley
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5F-2YP
| No
| No
|
| Ray Hagley
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5F-2WM
| No
| No
|
| Arthur L. Harris
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ58-31M
| No
| No
|
| Emmett O. Heath
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5F-Y2B
| No
| No
|
| Elaine Lois Heath
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5F-YGM
| No
| No
|
| Cynthia Jarrell
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5F-19R
| No
| No
|
| James Jarrell
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5F-1MY
| No
| No
|
| Kenneth Jones
| No
| -
| No
| No
|
| Jeff Nathan
| No
| -
| No
| No
|
| Brian R. O’Connor
| No
| -
| No
| No
|
| Michael R. Prestera
| No
| -
| No
| No
|
| Glenn H. Preston
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5V-11K
| No
| No
|
| Phyllis Preston
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5K-QR1
| No
| No
|
| Courtney Proctor
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5K-7GN
| No
| No
|
| Herbert D. Proctor
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5K-77C
| No
| No
|
| Helen Ralsten
| No
| * "Article clipped from The Weirton Daily Times", The Weirton Daily Times, Weirton, West Virginia, (1970) 16 November 1970, Page 1, Newspapers Clip: 53190966
| No
| No
|
| Murrill Ralsten
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5K-CQ9
| No
| No
|
| Parker Ward
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5K-CXJ
| No
| No
|
| Norman Weichmann
| No
| FamilySearch Person: LQ5K-4XB
| No
| No
|
|
[1][2]
Sources
- ↑ Wikipedia:Southern Airways Flight 932
- ↑ Wikipedia:1970 Marshall Thundering Herd football team
- Newspaper Clippings:
- "Picture of Crashed Airplane clipped from The Journal Herald", The Journal Herald, Dayton, Ohio, (1970) 16 November 1970, Page 1, Newspapers Clip: 113913806
- "At Marshall, 'feeling of disbelief'", The Journal Herald, Dayton, Ohio, (1970) 16 November 1970, Page 1, Newspapers Clip: 150930312
- "Brush with treetops blamed in crash of Marshall place", The Journal Herald, Dayton, Ohio, (1970) 16 November 1970, Page 1, Newspapers Clip: 150930419
- "Marshall University tragedy shows need for electronic aids", The Ironton Tribune, Ironton, Ohio, (1970) 17 November 1970, Page 1, Newspapers Clip: 150930611
- "Day of Mourning at Marshall University - Photo Essay", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, (1970) 17 November 1970, Page 24, Newspapers Clip: 150930870
- "Marshall University - photo of Federal Investigators examing burned airplane.", The Herald-News, Passaic, New Jersey, (1970) 16 November 1970, Page 17, Newspapers Clip: 150931509
... ... ... lived in Appalachia, in West Virginia. See Appalachia Project.
... Died in the 1970 Marshall University airplane crash Southern Airways Flight 932
M. (Tull) Meredith
Sandy (Craig) Patak