Although the circumstances and facts of the accident were applied in the planning of the research program, its scope and intent was to provide information that could be applied industry-wide and thus was not aimed at any specific aircraft. [1]:2[3], As the flight approached Philadelphia, the pilots made radio contact with air traffic control near Philadelphia at 8:42pm. Following the crash, Rueben Miller Jr. came down from Pennsylvania to speak with investigators and collect the remains of his sister, Joyce Gilbert, and her husband, Robert. By the same reasoning, in view of the known facts of this accident, there is no logical explanation for ignition of the flammable vapors other than some effect stemming directly from the lightning strike. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. 277 likes. Weeks after the crash, Carol received two Christmas gifts that her father had purchased before the crash: a copy of Robinson Crusoe and 45-rpm records of folksinger Burl Ives, which he thought was popular music. Can you list the top facts and stats about Pan Am Flight 214? The flight recorder tape of NAL 16[10] showed no major differences between the traces of the two aircraft while they were in the holding pattern, insofar as evidence of turbulence is concerned. He had three young daughters at home, ages 4, 3 and 1. Extensive and meticulous effort was expended attempting to find evidence of an electrical discharge that may have ignited the flammable mixture in the left reserve tank with negative results. A few small specks of fused material were found on the paint. [15] He had 10,008 hours of flying experience, including 2,808 in Boeing 707 aircraft. Thanks Edwin. The paint had been discolored by heat and there was localized charring of the paint. You have permission to edit this article. The captain was also provided with a "flight folder" which contained the required weather documents. [1]:56 Parts of the wreckage ripped a 40-foot wide (12m) hole in a country road, shattered windows in a nearby home, and spread burning jet fuel across a wide area. As a child my grandparents lived in Rising Sun and my moms uncle Charlie Ritchie owned Ritchie Motors. When I finally went to sleep, I dreamed it wasnt true. The group making this study concluded that while there are differences, the adoption of a single type of aviation turbine fuel by the entire industry would not significantly improve the overall excellent safety record of commercial aviation. The stepped leader advances toward the ground in a series of discrete branching movements, forming an ionized path down from the cloud. Numerous instances of in-flight fire were found on the recovered wreckage of the lift inboard wing aft of the rear spar, although most of the external skin remained unidentified. It was just a bunch of debris strewn over the area there, I dont recall any suitcases or anything like that. A smaller hole was burned adjacent to the outboard edge of the access cover over the fluxgate compass transmitter. I was a yeoman but that night it didn't matter, that night I was a SP. The accident is registered in the Guinness Book of World Records (2005) as the "Worst Lightning Strike Death Toll." Flight history This is a list of accidents and incidents involving American airline Pan Am. Additional requirements to protect the aircraft from lightning were enacted in 1970. I dont know if you were aware of this and hope that knowing your loss helped save others, brings you solace in some small way. It was too weird a coincidence. [28], Many aircraft-design improvements emerged as a result of the new guidelines and regulations. The lightning damage nearest the fuel tank vent outlet. It was a moving experience hearing the stories of other family members as they came back to Elkton to meet and share their accounts. There were scattered thunderstorms and areas of severe turbulence in the Philadelphia area. The weather service provided the crew at Baltimore was not complete, however, all the weather data available indicated that the cold front would be past Philadelphia and the weather would be improving upon their arrival. He was just 6 years old in 1963. Henry Shaffer, far right, was only 16 when he volunteered as a fire fighter at the scene of the crash. The first arriving emergency responder, Lt. Don Hash of the Maryland State Police, observed that the only large recognizable piece of jetliner was a section of fuselage with about eight or 10 window frames. I was 6 at the time and my great uncle Bob, my name sake was kidled along with his wife Florence. [22], Before this flight, lightning had not been known to cause a plane to crash, despite many instances of planes being struck. Also, the fire damage high on the left side of the vertical tail is wholly incompatible with fire emanating from the wing trailing edge under any normal flight conditions. Sherman and more than a dozen of his family members are coming this weekend. In the 1960s, traveling by air, although popular, was not without danger. Henry Shaffer, then 16, cut school for a couple days to volunteer at the crash site as a firefighter. Possible sources of such leaks are the dump chute assembly, the reserve tank transfer tube, or a rear spar crack. [22] Despite the opposition, investigators found multiple lightning strike marks on the left wing tip, and a large area of damage that extended along the rear edge of the wing, leading investigators to conclude that lightning was indeed the cause. Below the lower limit the mixture is too lean to burn and above the higher limit the mixture is too rich to burn. One effort in this regard was a review by the Coordinating Research Council of all available data concerning the relative safety of Type A and Type B jet fuels and mixtures thereof. You werent obligated to do it, but you wanted to do it, you wanted to help your neighbor in need, he said. The operations representative told the captain the the front passed Baltimore " a little while ago " and would be in Philadelphia " about 0125Z (2025).". A portion of the trailing edge of the left horizontal stabilizer was burned through and the paint was blistered along the entire upper and lower surfaces of the trailing edge. I cant believe the possibility that a combination of circumstances caused a lightning bolt to break the airplane up, the scientist said. The left outer wing and other parts were examined and analyzed by the National Bureau of Standards (NDS) in an effort to detect ignition points and confirm lightning damage. For more information on this blog click here. The aircraft, with 73 passengers and a crew of eight, was on an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance. He responded Sunday night after hearing the call to come in over the radio while working on a school report about the assassination of President Kennedy. Towns were abuzz about the Northeastern Expressway that President John F. Kennedy came to dedicate in a ceremony on Nov. 14. Mt. He said, I can assure you that the remains that you get back will be the remains of your loved ones, Miller recalled. The electron flow suddenly heats the ionized channel to about 15,000C, expanding the air supersonically outward with a thunderclap. On that cold rainy December evening,as lighting periodically illuminated the cornfield, acounty firefighter also died in the line of duty. March 27, 1977. 1 reserve fuel tank with resultant explosive disintegration of the left outer wing and loss of control. 3 and 4 main tanks and float valves in the Nos. Mr Tanguay's letter suggested reducing the volatility of the fuel/air gas mixture by introducing an inert gas, or by using air circulation. Magnetic strength surveys were made using a comparative Gaussmeter with a probe containing ferrous core coils, current amplifier, microammeter, and sensitivity adjustment. At Baltimore a Pan American operations representative talked to the captain about the weather between Baltimore and Philadelphia. Decades later, the memories are still fresh for Elkton residents, although many who witnessed that night are now gone, and family and friends are still trying to find closure. The ailerons and spoilers on both sides, except the outer half of the left outboard aileron, exhibited evidence of in-flight fire. The weather in the holding pattern area as described by the first officer of Flight 16 was cloudy, with comparatively smooth air, and the ground lights were occasionally visible through breaks in the clouds. [18]:34 The CAB launched an urgent research program in an attempt to identify conditions in which fuel vapors in the wings could have been ignited by lightning. The left outboard flap and spoiler skin were heavily sooted underneath caked mud. [5][3], The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was notified of the accident and was dispatched from Washington, D.C., to conduct an investigation. Toxicological examination of the flight crew showed no evidence of alcohol or elevated carbon monoxide levels. Its different when you dont share it with a mother and a father, but I love Christmas. If anyone does know where I can find a crew list, I would greatly appreciate it. The CAB team was assisted by investigators from the Boeing Company, Pan Am, the Air Line Pilots Association, Pratt & Whitney, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). 1 reserve tank; the left fuel vent surge tank, the HF antenna probe cover, a piece of top skin from the right side of the center fuel tank with float valve attached, and the float valve from the right wing reserve tank. Edwin, were you able to make the remembrance program held in Elkton as the community and family members came together for a weekend to mark the passage of 50 years since this tragedy shattered so many lives? There was slight sooting or discoloration on the reserve tank side of the spar and slight charring of the sealant at the juncture of the spar and the closure rib. Such spillage from the opened outer end of the No. There was evidence of heat in the inlet of the ram air vent scoop. In two small wreckage concentrations separate from the two previously mentioned paths, there were ten pieces, consisting of the Nos. The largest single indication of lightning damage was an irregular shaped hole about 11/2 inches in diameter. Be Proactive. Nearly 600 pieces of wreckage were strewn outside the main impact crater in an area approximately four miles long and one mile wide. An investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that the cause of the crash was a lightning strike that had ignited fuel vapors in one of the aircraft's fuel tanks, causing an explosion that destroyed one of the wings. No maintenance discrepancies were reported by the crew at Baltimore. 3 was issued by the USWB office, Washington National Airport. The crash site, centered in a field of the Berry Family Farm, covered a four-mile area. See attachment No. His father, a dentist in Allentown, Pa., was giving a lecture at the University of Puerto Rico and brought his wife. It was shortly before dawn on Sept. 5, 1986, when approximately 400 passengers aboard Pan Am Flight 73 were taken hostage by four Palestinian terrorists. New regulations mandated the electrical bonding between the surface of the aircraft and any items that are installed on the surface of the wings near the tanks, such as fuel filler caps, drain valves, and access panels. Air carrier aircraft operated into and out of Philadelphia immediately before and after the accident. He tried to keep in the Christmas spirit for his girls. Its certainly painful to relive some of it, but maybe its freeing at the same time, said Richard Sherman, who lost his father, Arnold, in the crash. He never lost control for an instant. On December 8, 1963, the Boeing 707-121 serving the flight crashed near Elkton, Maryland, while flying from Baltimore to Philadelphia, after being hit by lightning. There was evidence of higher heat in this area and fused metal was found around the hole. However, there were two distinct wreckage paths and three concentrations in this area. The bodies of all persons aboard the aircraft were recovered and identified. There was a nurse, an employee of Campbell Soup, a furniture dealer, a real estate broker and several dentists. https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Aircraft_Accident_Report:_Pan_Am_Flight_214&oldid=11128768. Then she hollered loud and clear over the crackling radio waves: Station 3 you have a plane crash., Elkton Chief Edgar Slaughter was in charge from the scene that night. The record of the first 32 minutes of flight was normal and indicated no severe turbulence. [16][17], The first officer was John R. Dale, 48, also of Long Island. Following is a list of passengers on the Pan American Boeing 747 airliner who were killed in the Canary Islands crash, as provided Monday to The Associated Press by Pan American officials:. It is logically concluded that the main tanks which contained fuel and are adjacent to the reserve and center tanks were structurally disrupted when some or all of the aforementioned tanks exploded; fuel was spilled and ignited. Like other family members of victims, Chris said he was grateful to the people of Elkton for responding to the tragedy. [22] Typically, an airplane is struck by lightning once or twice a year in normal operations. We dont take leaving each other for granted., 4:10 p.m.: Flight 214 leaves San Juan, Puerto Rico, 7:35 p.m.: Flight 214 arrives in Baltimore, the plane is inspected and crew informed of weather that night. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Crew list PanAm *Grubbs, Victor Captain *Bragg, Robert First Officer *Warns, George W. Flight Engineer *Cooper, John Observer in jump seat *Murillo Rivas, Juan Antonio Observer in jump seat *Kelly, Dorothy First class purser *Johnson, Carla J. Stewardess All 81 people on board were killed. And for the generation that was alive back at that time, albeit a catastrophic moment, this is one of them, Dixon said. Seventy-two of these witnesses saw lightning and seven stated they saw the lightning strike the aircraft. N709PA was at or near the freezing level just prior to the accident. Timenote.info, Biedrba, Abinfoserviss 2011-2020, Terms, Phone: +371 67 842135, E-mail: [emailprotected]. The crash also spawned research into the safety of various types of aviation fuel and into methods of reducing dangerous fuel-tank vapors. December 8 2018 Pan Am Flight 214 was a scheduled flight of Pan American World Airways from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. No evidence of a direct strike was found on these parts from N709PA. The fuselage had split in two, the cockpit was in a crater, that was covered in mud and engines flew further into yards past the field, it was like the people were put into a blender and fell in this muddy cornfield with one tree in the center. Even though the aircraft was operating in precipitation at or near the freezing level, icing is not considered a factor. The four mens suits on the right had no texture, they were charred to ash and disintegrated at the touch of a finger, read a photo caption published in the Cecil Whig in the days following the crash. Here we go." An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. At 8:24p.m. EST, flight 214 departed for Philadelphia with 73 passengers and 8 crew members on board. All 81 occupants of . United Airlines got many of Pan Am's old flights. Reflections on Yesterday Cecil County History. On a terrible night in 1963 eighty-one people aboard a doomed aircraft, Pan American Airways Flight 214, perished when the plane exploded and plunged into a cornfield at the edge of Elkton. He credited his team for the smooth emergency landing. Multiple lightning-strike marks were found on the left wing tips. The detached engine fell into a field on a farm southwest of Paris, where the flight had originated, with no injuries. Pilot George F. Knuth, captain of Flight 214, in his Pan Am photo. The first commercial radio, WSER, had started to broadcast. : Reporting rain and winds, Flight 214 is advised to hold outside New Castle, Del. We would be grateful if you would support our work by recording your loved ones, preserving their memory for future generations. At 7:35 p.m. EST, Flight 214 made an intermediate stop at Friendship . Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707-121 registered as N709PA, was en route from Baltimore to Philadelphia on December 8, 1963, when it crashed near Elkton, Maryland after being hit by lightning, killing all 81 on board. The first, in November 1962, happened when a Los Angeles-bound Varig Airlines 707 struck a mountain. 105). The flight was vectored for a visual approach to runway . The trooper was first to arrive at the crash site and later stated, "It wasnt a large fire. A memorial for the victims of Pan American Airways Flight 214, which crashed in Elkton on Dec. 8, 1963. [1]:4, The aircraft was a Boeing 707-121 registered with tail number N709PA. By the time many arrived to the scene, there were pockets of fire in the field. Metal splatters on the leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer were identified by spectrographic analysis as being formed from two different aluminum alloys. The correlation of time, place and damage cannot be dismissed. The lightning damage previously discussed was re-examined and confirmed. Stiffeners and access doors were bowed outward. As lightning periodically illuminated the cold, rainy night of December 8, 1963, five airliners flew in a holding pattern above Cecil County, awaiting clearance to land at Philadelphia International Airport. This horrifying disaster, the worst in Cecil County history, is something that is seared into the collective memory of the community. The aircraft was destroyed by explosion, impact and fire. Published Jul 1, 2019. Very slight outward bulging of the tank end rib was noted. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-321B powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B engines. Clipper 214 out of control. Investigators revealed that rough turbulence was unlikely to have caused the crash because the crews of other aircraft that had been circling in the area reported that the air was relatively smooth at the time. Three other persons saw a ball of fire appear at the fork or one end of the lightning stroke. The need for additional research is recognized and additional programming is planned. Criticism of the JP-4 jet fuel that was in the tanks centered around the fact that its vapors can be easily ignited at the low temperatures encountered in flight. Measurement of the jackscrews indicated the left wing flaps were up. Thus, the actual mechanics of ignition of the left reserve tank contents was not determined. The flight was cleared to climb to 5,000 feet and recleared to the New Castle VOR. We'd love to hear eyewitness Be Truthful. Application of known lightning protection information as well as specific testing was applied during the design stages. Simulation of lightning strikes to the extent of the testing facility capability did not produce any recorded evidence of sparking within the tank. 1 and 4 main tanks 12,000 pounds of fuel each, 31 percent Type B; center tank, estimated 15.05 gallons residual fuel, 100 percent Type B. MAYDAY. Special from the Cecil Whig. N709PA left San Juan as Pan American Flight 214 at 1610 and arrived at Baltimore at 1935. Although the initial impact of the plane created a great blaze, by the time first responders arrived at the scene, the force of the plane falling to earth had buried pockets of fire into the ground. The largest section was bowed chordwise in an outward direction. On that night, Dec. 8, 1963, Flight 214, a Pan American Airways Boeing 707, was returning to the U.S. from from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Pan Am Flight 914 disappeared in 1955 but reappeared 37 years later and landed without incident. Knuth, later called a hero pilot, was being too modest. Pan American World Airways conducted a flight test in a Boeing 707 to determine if fuel would discharge through the tank vent system ram air inlet. Invalid password or account does not exist. His mother, a volunteer with the Red Cross, was there to welcome families with coffee and sandwiches. He worked long hours and rarely took a vacation, especially without his wife. The right outboard flap showed heavy fire damage and the bottom skin was burned away. There was one trip when the plane suddenly dropped, knocking a flight attendant unconscious after she hit the ceiling. The engines were buried in the ground 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5m) from the force of the impact. [1]:2[3] The crew did not report any maintenance issues or problems during the flight. This horrible incident changed my whole life from this day forward. [15] This high potential produces streamers from all extremities and high gradient points of the aircraft. The left inboard flaps showed evidence of fire damage. In the days following the crash, area newspapers like the Delaware County Daily Times reported on the crash. At this stage the hijackers still believed a pilot would be found to fly the . At least 37 killed in Turkish cargo plane crash in Kyrgyzstan, Russian military plane carrying 92 on board, including famed army band, crashes into Black Sea, Passenger plane crashes while landing in Russia, Uz Zviedrijas un Norvijas robeas notikusi pasta lidmanas aviokatastrofa. [13], In 1959, the aircraft had been involved in an incident in which the right outboard engine was torn from the wing during a training flight in France. The high frequency (HF) radio antenna had separated from the vertical tail section and exhibited numerous tiny pock marks which were dull in appearance. However, witnesses, some particularly well qualified, observed a cloud to earth lightning discharge, described as being of exceptionally great magnitude, in the immediate location from which, moments later, the burning aircraft emerged. Carbon monoxide tests of passengers also indicated no elevated levels. The resultant fuel load was a mixture of Type A and Type B distributed as follows. In 50 years though, Anthony points out air travel safety has increased phenomenally. There are now about 0.2 fatal accidents per million departures on commercial air carriers. It is felt that the current state of the art does not permit and extension of test results to unqualified conclusions of all aspects of natural lightning effects. Flight 214 departed Baltimore at 2024 cleared IFR to the Port Herman Intersection via Victor 44 (airway), Victor 433, at 4,000 feet, to expect further clearance after Port Herman via Victor 433 to the New Castle VOR thence direct to Philadelphia. It is pertinent to note, however, that none of the damage was on wing skin that encompassed fuel tank or vent system space of the aircraft; consequently, a direct correlation of any of this damage with the tank explosion is not possible. Fuel released into the trailing edge could be ignited and the cavities in the wing trailing edge would act as flame holders making continued burning likely. At 8:58p.m. EST, while in the holding pattern, the aircraft was hit by lightning, which ignited fuel vapors in the No. First responders and police from throughout Cecil County had responded to the call, along with men from the Bainbridge Naval Training Center. He was partners with my grandfather in our family business in which my father and his brother were also employed. On a terrible night in 1963 eighty-one people aboard a doomed aircraft, Pan American Airways Flight 214, perished when the plane exploded and plunged into a cornfield at the edge of Elkton. At first, he thought the glow was from a distant barn fire. [9] First responders and police from across the county, along with men from the United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge, assisted with the recovery.