Aircraft N300GR Data

Airframe Info

Manufacturer:	Convair
Model:	240    Search all Convair 240
Year built:	1948
Construction Number (C/N):	115
Aircraft Type:	Fixed wing multi engine
Number of Seats:	42
Number of Engines:	2
Engine Type:	Reciprocating
Engine Manufacturer and Model:	P & W R-2800 SERIES

Aircraft

Registration Number:	N300GR
Mode S (ICAO24) Code:	A31FF8
Certification Class:	Standard
Certification Issued:	1973-04-18
Last Action Taken:	1977-01-14
Current Status:	Deregistered
Registration Cancel Date:	2009-10-19

Owner

Registration Type:	Corporation
Owner:	Central Iowa Airlines Inc
Address:	Ottumwa, IA 52501 United States
Region:	Central

User Comments

Robert Gerlach, 2011-02-26 08:29:15

I worked on N300GR at Spruce Creek Air Park before the fatal crash. It was originally an American Airlines purchase in 1948 and had the radar nose and paddle blade props. Our job was to install 42 seats from a YS-11 so it could be ferried out of the country for passenger use. It was a good looking aircraft, but not for long. ALL the lines in the nacelles were well overdue for replacement, but the owner Charles Clay didn't want to spend the money. That decision cost three lives and almost a fourth, a 15 year old boy who watched it impact near his home. Apparently the boy knew something about aircraft because he later said the pilot deliberately turned into the dead engine to avoid hitting his house. On board were Charles Clay (jump seat) and the two pilots, one from Texas and the other a helicopter pilot for the Volusia County Sheriffs Dept. Here are some of the contributing factors: 1. Outdated fuel, hydraulic and oil lines. 2. Over max weight by 7,000+pounds. Don't know how that happened--possibly we reinforced the floor with heavy duraluminum sheet, as we did for the C-131 and T-29 cargo conversions. 3. The ambient temperature was over 90 degrees F, so the density altitude was terrible. 4. The runway was approx. 4000 feet long. 5. The crew ordered full fuel (approx. 725 gallons/side) instead of putting 200 or so gallons/side and flying to Daytona Beach airport and topping off to take advantage of the 10,000 foot runway. 6. Turning into the dead engine at low altitude/airspeed. The event was filmed by someone on the ground and a couple still shots were published in the Daytona newspaper. They show smoke coming out of #2. There was also a photo of the crash scene, and the only thing to identify it as an airplane was the air stair. It impacted so hard that the #2 engine had to be dug out of the ground. I just found your web site, so this is why I'm commenting now. I have a couple photos of 300GR undergoing the conversion, and if I can burn them to disc I'll send them to you. The company for which I worked (International Transportation) was told to pack up and leave. I had left their employ by then. This was a real lesson in how consecutive mistakes just snowball, leaving only one outcome. Good looking aircraft, three nice guys. They all ended up in a crater together, eight miles west of a little known airfield. But on a happy note, the Valiant Air Command did a fly-in one time and they brought some neat stuff: a P-40 (N?) in AVG markings, an SNJ and a B-25. Possibly a T-28 too. Harry Doan did an impressive demo with one of his Sikorsky S-58 radial thumpers, which got me interested in one of his current restoration projects; the only surviving F4U-1 Birdcage Corsair. We take our losses in stride and just keep on flying. Bob Gerlach, USAF 1968-1972