Martin 4-0-4

Martin 4-0-4

Nine Martin 404s of Southern Airways at Atlanta Airport in 1972, being prepared for departure on the morning wave of flights
Role	Short/medium range airliner
Manufacturer	Glenn L. Martin Company
First flight	October 21, 1950 ^[1]
Introduction	1951
Primary users	Eastern Air Lines Trans World Airlines
Produced	1951-1953
Number built	103
Developed from	Martin 2-0-2

The Martin 4-0-4 was an American pressurized passenger airliner built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. In addition to airline use initially in the United States, it was used by the United States Coast Guard and United States Navy as the RM-1G (later as the VC-3A).

Design and development

When production of the earlier Martin 2-0-2 was stopped due to problems with wing structural failure the company decided to re-wing an improved version (which had already flown as the Martin 3-0-3). The new aircraft was the Martin 4-0-4. It had structural changes to the wings, pressurization and was lengthened slightly to take 40 passengers. Like the earlier 2-0-2, the 4-0-4 was a cantilever monoplane with a standard tail unit (cantilever tailplane and single vertical stabilizer). It had an airstair in the lower tail section for passenger loading and unloading, retractable tricycle landing gear and was powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CB16 radial piston engines.

Operational history

United States Coast Guard RM-1Z/VC-3A.

First deliveries in 1951 were made to Eastern Air Lines (EAL) which had ordered 60 and Trans World Airlines (TWA) which had ordered 40. The only other new aircraft from the production line were delivered to the United States Coast Guard which had ordered two as executive transports with the designation RM-1G later changed to RM-1 and then in 1962 to VC-3A. In 1969 they were transferred to the United States Navy and were withdrawn from use by 1970. A total of 103 aircraft were built at the Glenn L. Martin factory in Baltimore.

TWA operated their 40 4-0-4s under the name "Skyliner" on scheduled services in the eastern part of the USA between 1 September 1950 and the last flight on 29 April 1961.^[2] EAL operated their 4-0-4s in the eastern USA using the class name "Silver Falcon". The first EAL schedule was flown on 5 January 1952 and retirement came in late 1962.^[3]

The restored Martin 404 in 2008 at Camarillo Airport wearing Pacific Air Transport markings shortly before its last flight to Chino Airport

Later in their airline career, as they became displaced from the EAL and TWA fleets by turbine-powered aircraft, the 4-0-4s became popular with "second level" operators, known as "local service air carriers" in the U.S. as described and regulated by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), with these airlines needing to replace their Douglas DC-3s.^[4] One of the last 'major' US airlines with a large fleet of piston engined airliners was Southern Airways who operated 25 model 4-0-4s on a network of scheduled services from Atlanta in October 1961, all ex-Eastern Airlines aircraft.^[5] Southern Airways' last 4-0-4 service was flown on 30 April 1978^[6] with the air carrier then replacing them with smaller Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner "Metro II" turboprops. Martin 4-0-4s were also flown by Pacific Air Lines (which subsequently merged with Bonanza Air Lines and West Coast Airlines to form Air West), Piedmont Airlines (which operated former TWA 4-0-4 airliners), Ozark Air Lines and Mohawk Airlines during the 1960s. Most of these planes were replaced in 1968 with Fairchild F-27 and/or Fairchild-Hiller FH-227B turboprop aircraft.

Following their retirement by the aforementioned local service air carriers, a number of 4-0-4s were then operated by several U.S. based commuter and regional airlines to include Air South, Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA), Florida Airlines, Marco Island Airways, Provincetown-Boston Airlines (PBA) and Southeast Airlines. Martin 4-0-4s were also used in Air Florida Commuter feeder service when Air Florida was operating domestic and international scheduled passenger jet service during the 1970s and 1980s.

In February 2008 the last airworthy 4-0-4, an ex TWA aircraft, was ferried to the Planes of Fame Museum in Valle, Arizona.^[7]

Operators

♠ original operators

Civil

An Eastern Airlines Martin 404 circa 1955

Bolivia
Colombia

Aero Proveedora Proa Ltda

Dominican Republic

Dominair
Santiago Freighters

Haiti
Mexico
Panama
United States

Air South
Atlantic Southeast Airlines (1972-1979)
Eastern Airlines (1951-1962) ♠
Florida Airlines (1977-1981)
Marco Island Airways (1973-1981)
Mohawk Airlines (1961-1965)
Ozark Air Lines (1964-1967)
Pacific Air Lines (1959-1968)
Piedmont Airlines (1961-1972)
Provincetown-Boston Airlines (PBA) (1975-1984)
Southeast Airlines (1971-1976)
Southern Airways (1961-1978)
Trans World Airlines (TWA) (1950-1961) ♠

Venezuela

Rentavion

United States Coast Guard RM-1 in 1958.

Military

United States

Notable accidents and incidents

19 February 1955: TWA Flight 260 crashed into the Sandia Mountains, killing the three crew and 13 passengers.^[8]
1 April 1956: TWA Flight 400 crashed on takeoff from Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, 22 of the 36 people aboard the aircraft died.^[9]
2 July 1963: Mohawk Airlines Flight 121 crashed during takeoff from Rochester-Monroe airport, killing seven people and injuring 36.^[10]
2 October 1970: In the Wichita State University Crash, a charter flight operated by Golden Eagle Aviation crashed near Silver Plume, Colorado killing 31 of the 40 people on board.^[11]

Survivors

N40415 (c/n 14119) Fuselage in former PBA - Provincetown-Boston Airlines livery stored at the Fantasy of Flight museum in Polk City, Florida.^[12]
N636X (c/n 14135) On display at the Planes of Fame Air Museum in a Pacific Air Lines livery. The last airworthy 4-0-4.^[13]
N450A (c/n 14141) On display at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum painted in an Eastern Air Lines livery.^[14]
N145S (c/n 14142) On display at the National Airline History Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.^[15]
N9234C (c/n 14143) Cockpit section preserved at the National Museum of Commercial Aviation.^[16]
N462M (c/n 14153) On display at the Pima Air & Space Museum.^[17]
N974M (c/n 14158) Stored at Billings Logan International Airport without engines for fire evacuation training.^[18]
N461M (c/n 14227) Stored at Sheridan County Airport in Wyoming.^[19]
N259S (c/n 14233) On display at the Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum. Painted as N40400, the first 4-0-4 prototype.^[20]
N255S (c/n 14246) Stored on the grounds of the now-defunct Flying Tiger Air Museum near Paris, Texas.^[21]

Specifications

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54^[22]

General characteristics

Crew: 3 or 4
Capacity: 40 passengers
Length: 74 ft 7 in (22.73 m)
Wingspan: 93 ft 3 in (28.42 m)
Height: 28 ft 5 in (8.66 m)
Wing area: 864 sq ft (80.3 m²)
Airfoil: GLM-W 16
Empty weight: 29,126 lb (13,211 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 44,900 lb (20,366 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CB16 18-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine, 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) each (take off power), 1,800 hp (1,300 kW) (normal power)
Propellers: 3-bladed Hamilton Standard 2H17K3-48R, 13 ft 2 in (4.01 m) diameter

Performance

Maximum speed: 312 mph (502 km/h; 271 kn) at 14,500 ft (4,400 m)
Cruise speed: 280 mph (243 kn; 451 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Stall speed: 81 mph (70 kn; 130 km/h) at sea level
Range: 1,080 mi (938 nmi; 1,738 km)
Ferry range: 2,600 mi (2,259 nmi; 4,184 km)
Service ceiling: 29,000 ft (8,839 m)
Rate of climb: 1,905 ft/min (9.68 m/s)
Take-off distance to 50 ft (15 m): 1,980 ft (600 m)
Landing distance from 50 ft (15 m): 1,750 ft (530 m)

References

Notes

↑ Gunston 1980, p. 170.
↑ Killion 1997, pp. 148–149.
↑ Killion 1997, pp. 133–134.
↑ Killion 1997, p. 67.
↑ Sievers 1969, p. 25.
↑ Killion 1997. p. 147.
↑ Airliner World, July 2008, p. 80
↑ "Accident report for Martin 404 N40416 on February 19, 1955". Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Report. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
↑ "Accident report for Martin 404 N40403 on April 1, 1956". Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Report. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
↑ "Accident report for Martin 404 N449A on July 2, 1963". Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Report. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
↑ "Accident report for Martin 404 N464M on October 2, 1970". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
↑ "N40415". Sunshine Skies. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ "Flying & Static Aircraft". Planes of Fame Air Museum. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ "Martin 4-0-4 'Silver Falcon'". Mid-Atlantic Air Museum. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ "Martin 404". National Airline History Museum. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ "EAL Martin 404 Cockpit". National Museum of Commercial Aviation. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ "Skyliner". Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ "N974M". airliners.net. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ "N461M". airliners.net. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ "N259S". airliners.net. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ "N255S". Flickr. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
↑ Bridgman 1953, pp. 255–256.

Bibliography

Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Leicester, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979, pp. 95, 217. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
Breslau, Alan Jeffry The Time Of My Death: Story of Miraculous Survival (E. P. Dutton, New York 1977) The July 2, 1963 crash of Mowhawk Airlines in Rochester, New York.
Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd, 1953.
Gunston, Bill. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Propeller Airliners. Leicester, UK: Windward Imprint, 1980. ISBN 0-7112-0062-9.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.
Killion, Gary L. The Martinliners. Sandpoint ID: Airways International Inc., 1997. ISBN 0-9653993-2-X.
Sievers, Harry. North American Airline Fleets. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1969. ISBN 0-85130-005-7.
Smith, M.J. Jr. Passenger Airliners of the United States, 1926–1991. Missoula, Montana: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 1986. ISBN 0-933126-72-7.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Martin 404.

Martin Airliners - Maryland Aviation Museum
Martin 202/404 Census - oldprops.ukhome.net (photos and history also on site)
Many detailed close-up photographs of a restored Martin 4-0-4
Aviation Safety Network
Federal Aviation Authority Type Certificate for the Martin 404

Glenn L. Martin Company and Martin Marietta aircraft

Model numbers	57 60 66 67 70 71 73 74 75 117 118 119 120 122 123 125 129 130 139 145 146 156 162 166 167 170 179 182 187 189 190 202 205 210 219 223 234 237 247 259 270 272 290 303 307 313 316 317 321 327

Airliners	M-130 202 303 404

Attack aircraft	A-15 A-22 A-23 A-30 A-45 AM

Bombers	B-10 B-12 XB-13 XB-14 XB-16 B-26 XB-27 B-33 B-48 XB-51 B-57 XB-68 BM MB

Maritime patrol	PBM XP2M P3M P4M P5M P6M P7M

Military transports	C-3 JRM RM

Military trainers	T/TT N2M

Scout/Torpedo bombers	S MS TM T2M T3M T4M T5M T6M

Reconnaissance aircraft	RB-57D RB-57F

Martin Marietta	845 SV-5J X-23 X-24A X-24B

USN/USMC transport designations 1931–1962

Atlantic Aircraft	RA

Budd	RB

Curtiss	RC R2C⁴ R3C⁴ R4C R5C

Douglas	RD R2D R3D R4D R5D R6D

Bellanca	RE

Kinner	RK

Kreider-Reisner	RK² R2K

Martin	RM

Lockheed	RO R2O R3O R4O R5O R6O R7O-1/-2 to "V"

Stinson	RQ R2Q² R3Q

Fairchild	RQ R2Q R3Q² R4Q

Ford	RR

Sikorsky	RS

Northrop	RT

Lockheed	from "O" R6V R7V-1/-2 R8V

Convair	RY R2Y R3Y R4Y

¹ Not assigned • ² Assigned to a different manufacturer's type • ³ Sequence restarted • ⁴ Assigned to a different class of aircraft

United States military transport aircraft designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems

Army/Air Force sequence (1925-1962)	C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7 C-8 C-9 C-10 C-11 C-12 C-13¹ C-14 C-15 C-16 C-17 C-18 C-19 C-20 C-21 C-22 C-23 C-24 C-25 C-26 C-27 C-28 C-29 C-30 C-31 C-32 C-33 C-34 C-35 C-36 C-37 C-38 C-39 C-40 C-41/A C-42 C-43 C-44 C-45 C-46 C-47/T C-48 C-49 C-50 C-51 C-52 C-53 C-54 C-55 C-56 C-57 C-58 C-59 C-60 C-61 C-62 C-63 C-64 C-65 C-66 C-67 C-68 C-69 C-70/A/B/C/D C-71 C-72 C-73 C-74 C-75 C-76 C-77/B-D C-78 C-79 C-80 C-81 C-82 C-83 C-84 C-85 C-86 C-87 C-88 C-89 C-90 C-91 C-92 C-93 C-94 C-95 C-96 C-97/KC-97 C-98 C-99 C-100 C-101 C-102 C-103 C-104 C-105 C-106 C-107 C-108 C-109 C-110 C-111 C-112 C-113 C-114 C-115 C-116 C-117 C-118 C-119 C-120 C-121/F C-122 C-123/A C-124 C-125 C-126 C-127 (I) C-127 (II) C-128 C-129 C-130/J C-131 C-132 C-133 C-134 C-135/KC-135 C-136 C-137 C-138¹ C-139¹ C-140 C-141 C-142

Tri-service sequence (1962-present)	C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7/B C-8 C-9 C-10 C-11 C-12 C-13¹ C-14 C-15 C-16¹ C-17 C-18 C-19 C-20A-D/F-H C-21 C-22 C-23 C-24 C-25 C-26 C-27/J C-28 C-29 C-30¹ C-31 C-32 C-33 C-34¹ C-35 C-36 C-37A/B C-38 C-39¹ C-40 C-41 C-42¹ C-43¹ C-44¹ C-45 C-46

Revived original sequence (2005-present)	C-143 C-144 C-145 C-146

Non-sequential designations	C-767 C-880

¹ Not assigned See also: AC-47 • AC-119 • AC-130 • DC-130 • EC-130 • HC-130 • KC-130 • LC-130 • MC-130 • WC-130 • CT-39 • CT-43

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