 A Douglas DC-3 in flight | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 15, 1957 (1957-09-15) |
| Summary | Premature descent due to incorrect perception caused by fog |
| Site | Near New Bedford Regional Airport, Massachusetts 41°39′42″N 70°58′22″W / 41.66167°N 70.97278°W / 41.66167; -70.97278 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-3 |
| Operator | Northeast Airlines |
| Registration | N34417 |
| Flight origin | Martha's Vineyard Airport |
| Destination | New Bedford Regional Airport |
| Passengers | 21 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 12 |
| Injuries | 12 |
| Survivors | 12 |
Northeast Airlines Flight 285 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Boston's Logan International Airport to New York's LaGuardia Airport with stops in Hyannis, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and New Bedford that crashed on September 15, 1957, while trying to land at New Bedford. Seven passengers and two crew members were killed in the crash and three passengers later died from injuries. It was Northeast Airlines' second fatal crash of the year (the first was Flight 823) and was followed by another deadly crash (Flight 258) the following year.
Flight
The flight, which carried freight, mail, and passengers, departed from Boston for Hyannis at 5:50 p.m. with 21 passengers on board. The aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, departed Hyannis at 6:35 p.m. for Nantucket. It left Nantucket at 7:30 p.m. for Martha's Vineyard. The plane missed its first landing approach at Martha's Vineyard due to poor weather conditions, but landed safely on the second approach at 8:07 p.m. All of the original passengers deplaned at these stops. Seven new passengers boarded at Nantucket and fourteen more boarded at Martha's Vineyard. At 8:18 p.m., the plane, which was 50 minutes behind schedule, took off from Martha's Vineyard for New Bedford, where one passenger was scheduled to get off. The rest were bound for the flight's final stop at LaGuardia.
Crash
Around 8:45 p.m., the plane made a normal approach to the field. On its final approach to New Bedford, it smashed a 400-foot (120 m) path through trees and went down about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) short of the runway, in the Apponegansett Swamp. A number of Catholic priests made their way through the swamp to administer spiritual care to the victims.
Investigations
Both the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission (MAC) investigated the crash. The MAC released its report on September 30, 1957. It found the most probable reason for the crash was a "loss of visual reference during the final visual phase of an instrument approach, due to weather conditions." According to the report, at the time of the crash the ceiling at the airport was 200 feet (61 m) and there was visibility of one-half mile (0.80 km).
The CAB determined that the probable cause of the accident to be premature descent by the pilot in the approach area without adherence to the instrument landing system approach dictated by existing weather conditions in an attempt to make a visual approach. They found that Flight 285 had descended prematurely and to a low and unsafe altitude in an attempt to approach the airport visually. It did not conform to the ILS glide path, flying nearly 189 feet (58 m) below the glide path centerline and 165 feet (50 m) to the right of the localizer centerline. A descent occurred which was not recognized by the pilots in time for corrective action, resulted in the plane striking trees and crashing about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) short of the runway threshold.
See also
References
- ^ "U.S. Opens Inquiry Into Plane Crash". The New York Times. September 17, 1957.
- "12th Crash Victim Dies". The New York Times. September 25, 1957.
- ^ Mahoney, Frank (September 16, 1957). "9 Killed in Plane Crash: 15 Injured in New Bedford Swamp Plunge". The Boston Daily Globe.
- "19 on airliner killed in crash at Nantucket"; New York Times, August 19, 1958
- ^ "CRASH OF A DOUGLAS C-53-DO IN NEW BEDFORD: 12 KILLED". Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
- "Priests Rush to Scene of Crash". The Oklahoma Courier. 5 October 1957. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- "Fatal New Bedford Airliner Accident Blamed on Fog". The Boston Daily Globe. October 1, 1957.
External links
| Aviation accidents and incidents in 1957 (1957) | |
|---|---|
| Jan 6 American Airlines Flight 327Jan 31 Pacoima aircraft accidentFeb 1 Northeast Airlines Flight 823Mar 5 Sutton Wick air crashMar 14 British European Airways Flight 411Mar 17 Cebu Douglas C-47 crashApr 7 Begé VARIG Commando crashMay 1 Blackbushe Viking accidentJun 14 LOT Polish Airlines Flight 232Jul 8 Singapore airplane crashJul 16 KLM Flight 844Jul 25 Bursa airplane crashAug 11 Maritime Central Airways Flight 315Aug 17 Kiev mid-air collisionSep 15 Northeast Airlines Flight 285Oct 1 Aeroflot Flight 11Oct 23 Nutts Corner BEA Viscount crashNov 6 Downend crashNov 8 Pan Am Flight 7Nov 15 Aquila Airways Solent crashDec 8 Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 670Dec 11 Philippine Air Lines DHC-3 Otter crashDec 18 Aeroflot Flight 10 | |
| 1956 ◄ ► 1958 |
- Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-3
- Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error
- Airliner accidents and incidents in Massachusetts
- Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1957
- New Bedford, Massachusetts
- 1957 in Massachusetts
- Northeast Airlines accidents and incidents
- September 1957 events in the United States