Trouble for Northwest

In the past four years, Northwest Airlines has been plagued by accidents with its 36-passenger Martin 202s. During 1950, when three 2025 crashed (and a DC-4 plunged into Lake Michigan, killing 55 passengers), Northwest's fatalities were more than those of all other scheduled U.S. airlines combined. After the fifth crash of a two-engined Martin 202 early this year (seven killed), Northwest had a palace revolt: its pilots refused to fly the 202s. With that, Northwest grounded its Martins--20 in all.

Then Northwest took an even more drastic step. It put half of its 202s up for sale, at $350,000 each (replacement cost: $450,000). Last week it was still looking for takers.

Northwest's trouble with the 202s began in 1948 when a wing, said Northwest, "tore off in flight." Northwest grounded the planes to strengthen the wings, and filed a still unsettled $725,000 suit against Martin charging delivery of defective planes (TIME, April 25, 1949). When the Civil Aeronautics Board investigated the 1950 crashes, it found nothing structurally wrong with the planes. But after the crash last January, the Civil Aeronautics Administration recommended 63 modifications in each 202 (cost per plane, $15,000). It did not think the modification's serious enough to ground the planes at the time; but CAB said it would continue investigations, to see if it could fix the blame on the planes, the pilots, or poor maintenance.

Northwest's own grounding of the 202s comes at a particularly tough time for the airline. It went heavily into debt to expand in the last five years, and this year hoped to cash in. It has cut its long-term loans down from $21 million to $16.1 million in the last year, and cut its losses in the first two months this year to $1,152,000--or $1,387,678 less than during the same period in 1950. With its 202s idle, Northwest has only 28 planes left (DC-4s and Stratocruisers). Customers are already kicking over the cut in service, and asking for help from other lines.

Said the Yakima (Wash.) Herald: "If there is to be an indefinite extension of Northwest's shrunken schedule here, we think United Airlines should be allowed to provide some interim relief."

Northwest says it hasn't lost faith in the 202s, is selling half of them simply because it needs more four-motored planes for freight and long hauls. As for the remaining ten 202s, Northwest President Croil Hunter has his mechanics modifying them to meet CAA's recommendations. When the 202s are ready, he expects to have them in the air again.

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