C-46 similar to accident aircraft |
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 29 October 1960 |
| Type | Pilot error; overloading |
| Site | Toledo Express Airport, United States |
| Passengers | 45 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 22 |
| Survivors | 26 |
| Aircraft type | Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando |
| Operator | Arctic Pacific |
| Tail number | N1244N |
The Cal Poly football team plane crash occurred on October 29, 1960, at 22:02 EST, when a twin-engine C-46 propliner, registration N1244N, operated as a domestic charter flight by Arctic Pacific, carrying the California Polytechnic State University football team, crashed on takeoff at the Toledo Express Airport in Toledo, Ohio. The aircraft, a veteran of World War II, broke in two and caught fire on impact.[1] Twenty-two of the forty-eight people on board were killed, including sixteen players, the team’s student manager and a Cal Poly football booster.[2][3]
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The CAB investigated the accident and concluded that the aircraft had been overloaded by 2,000 lbs above its maximum certificated gross takeoff weight of 47,100 lbs, and that there was a partial power loss in the left engine prior to the crash.[3]
Prior to takeoff the weather at the airport steadily deteriorated; at 7 pm the visibility was 3/4 mile, at 8:37 the visibility was down to 1/16 mile, and by the time of the accident the visibility was zero.[1] The CAB accident report states that stemming from the crash, the FAA published a notice in the Airman's Guide that prohibited takeoff for commercial aircraft when the visibility is below 1/4 mile, or the runway visual range is below 2000 ft.[1]
The CAB issued the following Probable Cause statement in its final report:[3]
The accident was due to loss of control during a premature lift-off. Contributing factors were the overweight aircraft, weather conditions, and partial loss of power in the left engine.
The pilot who made the decision to take off was flying on a license that had been revoked, but was allowed to fly pending an appeal. Following the crash, the Arctic-Pacific Company lost its certificate to charter airplanes.[2]
Among the survivors was quarterback Ted Tollner, who went on to become head football coach of the University of Southern California and San Diego State University. At the time of the crash, Bowling Green State had been the easternmost opposing school ever to play football against Cal Poly.
The university canceled the final three games of the 1960 season.
Cal Poly alumnus and NFL Hall of Fame coach John Madden’s fear of flying is commonly attributed to the crash, although he has said it instead stems from claustrophobia. Madden, who played football for Cal Poly from 1957–58 and was coaching at the nearby Allan Hancock Junior College at the time of the crash, knew many passengers aboard the plane.[2]
As a result of the crash, Cal Poly did not play any road games outside California until 1969 (a 14-0 loss at the University of Montana-Missoula).[4] A bigger consequence was that Cal Poly did not play another road game east of the Rocky Mountains until 1978 (a 17-0 loss to Winston-Salem State University in the NCAA Division II playoffs).[5] They would not play another regular season game east of the Rockies until 1989 (a 45-20 loss to Angelo State University).[6]
On Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1961, Los Angeles County Supervisor Warren Dorn and Bob Hope sponsored a "Mercy Bowl" in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between Fresno State and Bowling Green State to raise a memorial fund for the survivors and bereaved families. The event raised about $200,000 from a crowd of 33,000.[2]
Memorial plaques for the crash can be found on campus at Mott Gym and the Mustang horse statue. A permanent memorial plaza opened with the new Alex G. Spanos Stadium. The memorial has 18 copper pillars, one for each of the Cal Poly-affiliated individuals who died in the crash. Each pillar rises to the height of the person honored and is adorned with a plaque about that individual's life.[7]
On September 29, 2006, the 1960 football team was inducted into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame, and the following night former players and members of the crash victims families stood at mid-field during a half time memorial.[8]
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