The story of the DC-3 really began in tragedy, when a plane crash caused a public outcry across America over the quality of passenger aviation. It took the death of the famous football (grid iron) coach, Knut Rockne of Notre Dame University, who with five other passengers and two crew was lost when Transcontinental & Western Airlines (TWA) Flight 599 went down at Bazaar, Kansas (between Kansas City & Wichita), on 31st March 1931. The aeroplane was a Fokker F-10A Tri-motor, made of laminated wood and fabric and was considered to be one of the leading airliners of the day.
The response to the “Rockne Crash” was to ground the F-10A fleet whilst an investigation was carried out to determine the cause of the crash. Initially it was thought that strong winds or icing were to blame, but it was later established that moisture had seeped into one of the wings of the plane which had weakened the glue that held the wing spars together, to the extent that the wing parted from the fuselage. The crash was a pivotal moment in aviation history and its upshot was that radical changes to the airline regulations were made, which hastened the advancement in airframe design and compelled the American aviation industry to develop all-metal (aluminium) types.
In the aftermath of the crash TWA’s and Fokker’s reputations were tarnished, however both companies recovered and lived on. TWA being unable to purchase the new Boeing 247 aircraft (as United Airlines had first option on...
