United Air Lines Flight 615

The wreckage and remains of the accident aircraft.
Accident
Date	August 24, 1951
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain
Site	Near Decoto, California, United States
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-6B
Aircraft name	Mainliner Omaha
Operator	United Airlines
Registration	N37550
Flight origin	Boston
1st stopover	Hartford, Connecticut
2nd stopover	Cleveland, Ohio
3rd stopover	Chicago
Last stopover	Oakland, California
Destination	San Francisco
Occupants	50
Passengers	44
Crew	6
Fatalities	50
Survivors	0

United Air Lines Flight 615 was a US transcontinental east–west airline service from Boston to Hartford, Cleveland, Chicago, Oakland and San Francisco. On August 24, 1951, the Douglas DC-6 with registration N37550^[1] operating the service, crashed on approach to Oakland, causing the death of all 44 passengers and 6 crew members on board.^[2]

The flight departed Chicago at 10:59 p.m. CST en route to Oakland. At around 4:16 a.m., the plane was approaching Oakland. At this time, the pilot, Marion W. Hedden of Los Altos, had talked with the control tower of the Civil Aeronautics Administration at the airport preparing for his landing, and had mentioned no trouble. At 4:25 a.m. Flight 615 was cleared for the straight-in approach into Oakland.

This approach clearance was the last radio transmission with the flight. The plane crashed into mountainous terrain 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Oakland, careening into Tolman Peak and over its knoll, scattering on the downslope and into Dry Gulch Canyon below in a fiery explosion. All 50 persons on board perished.

After an investigation, it was determined that the pilot ignored the prescribed instrument landing procedures. The pilot instead relied on visual reference, using the copilot's automatic direction finder (ADF). The ADF threw the plane three miles (4.8 km) off course and below the prescribed altitude of 3,500 feet (1,100 m).

• List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft

• Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
• Report - Civil Aeronautics Board - PDF
• Union City History - Crash of Flight 615 - includes period photographs and a chart excerpt from CAB report
• Wreckchasing.com - United Airlines Flight 615 - includes hiking directions to the crash site
• Check-Six.com - The Crash of United Airline Flight #615 - includes full crew and passenger list
• Mishalov.com - The Crash of a DC-6B in Alameda County, California - includes current-day photographs of crash site and topographic map
• Accident scene photo^[usurped] from Airdisaster.com

37°36′52″N 121°59′33″W / 37.61444°N 121.99250°W / 37.61444; -121.99250