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{{Short description|1963 aviation accident}}
{{Infobox Airliner accident|name=Pan Am Flight 214|
{{Featured article}}
Crash image=|
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}
Image caption=The crashed Boeing 707 near Elkton, Md.|
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
Date=], ] |
| occurrence_type = Accident
Type= Lightning strike |
| name = Pan Am Flight 214
occurrence_type = Accident|
| image = Boeing 707-121, Pan Am JP6888703.jpg
Site= ]|
| image_upright = 1.2
Fatalities=81 |
| caption = A Pan Am Boeing 707-121 aircraft similar to the aircraft involved in the crash
Injuries=0 |
| alt = Photograph of an aircraft parked at an airport
Aircraft Type=] |
| date = December 8, 1963
Operator=] |
| type = In-flight explosion and break up caused by ]
Tail Number={{airreg|N|709PA|disaster}} |
| site = ], United States
Ship name=''Clipper Tradewind'' |
| coordinates = {{Coord|39|36|47.8|N|75|47|29.7|W|region:US-MD_type:event|display=inline,title}}
Origin=]|
| occupants = 81
Stopover=]|
| passengers = 73
Destination=]|
| crew = 8
Passengers=73 |
| fatalities = 81
Crew=8 |
| survivors = 0
Survivors =0 |
| aircraft_type = ]
| aircraft_name = ''Clipper Tradewind''
| tail_number = N709PA
| operator = ]
| IATA = PA214
| ICAO = PAA214
| callsign = CLIPPER 214
| origin = ]
| stopover = ]
| destination = ]
}} }}
'''] Flight 214''', a ] registered as {{airreg|N|709PA|disaster}}, was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from ] to ], which crashed
on ], ] near ], after being hit by a ] while in a ], killing all 81 persons on board.<ref name=cab>{{cite web|url=http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=8&name=*P%3A%5CDOT%5Cairplane%20accidents%5Cwebsearch%5C120863.pdf|title= Pan Am Flight 214 CAB report (PDF) (Historical Aircraft Accident, 1963, Pan Am)}}</ref>


'''Pan Am Flight 214''' was a scheduled flight of ] from ], to ], and then to ] in the United States. On December 8, 1963, while flying from Baltimore to Philadelphia, the ] crashed near ]. All 81 passengers and crew on the plane were killed. The crash was Pan Am's first fatal accident with the 707, which it had introduced to its fleet five years earlier.
==Flight history==
On ], ], ] Flight 214, a ] four-engine ] named ''Clipper Tradewind'' by Pan Am,<ref>] flights were called 'Clipper' by ]</ref> took off from ] in ] at 4:10 p.m. EST, for a flight to ] with 73 passengers and 8 crew on board. At 7:35 p.m. EST, Flight 214 made an intermediate stop at Friendship International Airport (now called ], or BWI) for refueling. At 8:24 p.m. EST, Flight 214 departed. Due to high winds in the Philadelphia area, the crew chose to wait in a holding pattern with five other airplanes rather than attempt to land in Philadelphia.<ref name=asn>{{ASN accident|id=19631208-0}}. Retrieved on 2006-06-12.</ref>


An investigation by the ] concluded that a ] had probably ignited fuel vapor in one of the aircraft's fuel tanks, causing an explosion that destroyed the left wing. The exact manner of ignition was never determined, but the investigation increased awareness of how lightning can damage aircraft, leading to new regulations that resulted in safety improvements. The crash also inspired research into the safety of several types of aviation fuel and into ways of changing the design of aircraft fuel systems to make them safer in the event of lightning strikes.
At 8:58 p.m. EST, while in the holding pattern, the aircraft was hit by ], which ignited fuel vapors in the number one (left) reserve tank, causing an explosion. The crew of Flight 214 managed to transmit a final message – "Mayday Mayday Mayday. Clipper 214 out of control. Here we go." – before it crashed near ]. All 81 people on board were killed.<ref name=aeronauticsboard> {{cite web | title=Civil Aeronautics Board report | url=http://dnausers.d-n-a.net/dnetGOJG/081263.htm | accessdate=2006-06-12}} </ref>

==Background==
] Flight 214 was a regularly scheduled flight from ] in ], to ], with a scheduled stopover at ]'s ].<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=2}} Flight 214 left San Juan at 4:10{{nbsp}}pm ] on December 8, 1963, with 140 passengers and eight crew members. It arrived in Baltimore at 7:10{{nbsp}}pm.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=2}}<ref name="nytimes1210a"/> The crew did not report any maintenance issues or problems during the flight.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=2}} After 67 passengers disembarked in Baltimore,<ref name="nytimes1210a"/> the aircraft departed at 8:24{{nbsp}}pm with its remaining 73 passengers for the final leg to Philadelphia International Airport.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=2}}<ref name="nytimes1210a"/>

==Accident==
Upon approaching Philadelphia, the pilots made radio contact with ] at 8:42{{nbsp}}pm. The controller informed the pilots that the airport was experiencing a ], strong winds and ].<!--<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=3}}--> The controller asked whether the pilots wanted to proceed directly to the airport or to enter a ] to wait for the storm to pass.<!--<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=3}}--> The crew chose to remain at {{convert|5000|ft|m}} in a holding pattern with five other aircraft.<ref name="ind1210b"/> The controller told the pilots to expect a delay of about 30{{nbsp}}minutes.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=3}} Heavy rain was falling in the holding area, with frequent ] and gusts of wind of up to {{convert|50|mph|kn kph|abbr=}}.<ref name="nytimes1209"/>

At 8:58{{nbsp}}pm, the aircraft exploded.<ref name="nytimes1209"/> The pilots transmitted a final message: "]. Clipper 214 out of control. Here we go."<!--<ref name="ironwood1211"/>--> Seconds later, the first officer of ] Flight 16, flying {{convert|1000|ft|m}} higher in the same pattern, radioed, "Clipper 214 is going down in flames."<ref name="ironwood1211"/><ref name="cab"/>{{rp|2}} The aircraft crashed in a corn field in ], east of ], near the ], setting the rain-soaked field on fire.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|pages=1, 3}}<ref name="nytimes1209"/> The plane was destroyed and everyone on board was killed.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=1}} It was the first Pan Am jet to crash in the five years since the company had introduced their jet fleet.<ref name="nytimes1209"/>

==Aftermath==
]

A Maryland state trooper who had been patrolling on ] transmitted an alert on his radio as he drove toward the crash site. He was the first to arrive at the location and later stated,<ref name="cecilcounty"/> {{blockquote|text=It wasn’t a large fire. It was several smaller fires. The biggest section of the aircraft was a section of the ] with about 8 or 10 window frames ... and there was a wing and a couple of the tail wings lying in the area that was just a debris field ... It didn’t resemble an airplane. The engines were buried in the ground {{convert|10|to|15|ft|m|0}} from the force of the impact.}}

Firefighters and police officers soon recognized that a rescue operation was pointless and all they could do was extinguish the fires and begin collecting bodies.<ref name="nytimes1209" /> The wreckage burned in intense fires that lasted more than four hours.<ref name="pi1209" /> First responders and police from across the county, along with men from the ], assisted with the response.<ref name="newarkpost" /> They positioned ] around the area to define the accident scene and set up searchlights to illuminate it to ensure that the debris and human remains were undisturbed by curious spectators.<ref name="pi1209" /><ref name="baltsun1209" />

The remains of the victims were brought to the ] in Philadelphia, where a temporary morgue was set up.<!--<ref name="pi1210" />--> Relatives showed up to the armory looking for information, but officials said it would not be possible to visually identify any of the victims.<ref name="pi1210" /> The state medical examiner needed nine days to complete the identification of the victims, using fingerprints, dental records, and personal effects that had been found nearby.<!--<ref name="newarkpost" />--> In some cases, the team reconstructed the victims' faces as much as possible using mannequins.<ref name="newarkpost" />

The main crater left by the impact contained most of the aircraft's fuselage, the inner part of the left wing, the left main ], and the nose gear.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=5}} Portions of the plane's right wing and fuselage, right main landing gear, horizontal and vertical ] surfaces, and two of the ] were found within {{convert|360|ft|m}} of the crater.<!--<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=4}}--> A trail of debris from the plane extended {{convert|4|mi|km|0}} from the point of impact.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=4}} The complete left wingtip was found nearly {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} from the crash site.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|pages=5&ndash;6}} Parts of the wreckage ripped a {{convert|40|ft|m|adj=mid| wide}} hole in a country road, shattered windows in a nearby house, and spread burning ] across a wide area.<ref name="nytimes1209"/><ref name="nytimes1210a"/>

The ] (CAB) was notified of the accident and investigators were dispatched from ]<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=14}}<ref name="nytimes1209"/> Witnesses of the crash described hearing the explosion and seeing the plane in flames as it descended.<ref name="nytimes1209"/> Of the 140 witnesses interviewed, 99 reported seeing an aircraft or a flaming object in the sky.<!--<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=4}}--> Seven witnesses stated that they had seen lightning strike the aircraft.<!--<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=4}}--> Seventy-two witnesses said that the ball of fire occurred at the same time as, or immediately after, the lightning strike.<!--<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=4}}--> Twenty-three witnesses reported that the aircraft exploded after they had seen it ablaze.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=4}} Witnesses saw the plane burning as it fell.<ref name=newcastle0225/>

==Aircraft==
The aircraft was a Boeing 707-121 registered with tail number N709PA.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|1}} Named the ''Clipper Tradewind'',<ref name="mc2013"/> it was the oldest commercial jet airliner in the United States at the time of the crash.<ref name="nytimes1210a"/> It had been delivered to Pan Am on October 27, 1958, and had flown a total of 14,609 hours.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=14}} It was powered by four ] turbojet engines, and its estimated value was $3.4 million ({{inflation|US|3400000|1963|fmt=eq|r=-5}}).<ref name="nytimes1210e"/>

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 plane was reported to have entered a sudden spin during a demonstration of the aircraft's ], during which the engine broke away.<!--<ref name="nytimes022659"/>--> The pilot regained control of the aircraft and landed safely in ] using the remaining three engines.<!--<ref name="nytimes022659"/>--> The detached engine fell into a field on a farm southwest of ], where the flight had originated.<ref name="nytimes1210a"/><ref name="nytimes022659"/>

==Passengers and crew==
All 73 passengers died in the crash.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=1}} They were all US residents.<ref name="nytimes1210c"/>

The ] was 45-year-old George F. Knuth, of ].<ref name="nytimes1210c"/> He had flown for Pan Am for 22 years and had 17,049 hours of flying experience, including 2,890 in the Boeing 707.<ref name="newarkpost"/> In 1949, he was the captain of ] that collided in flight with a ], killing the two occupants of the Cessna, but with no injuries to the passengers or crew of his aircraft.<ref name="nytimes1210d"/><ref name="nytimes0131"/>

The ] was John R. Dale, age 48, also of Long Island.<ref name="nytimes1210c"/> He had 13,963 hours of flying time, of which 2,681 were in the Boeing 707.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=14}} The ] was Paul L. Orringer, age 42, of ].<ref name="nytimes1210c"/> He had 10,008 hours, including 2,808 in Boeing 707 aircraft.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=14}} The ] was John R. Kantlehner of Long Island.<ref name="nytimes1210c"/> He had 6,066 hours, including 76 hours in the Boeing 707.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=14}}


==Investigation== ==Investigation==
] ]
The ] (CAB) investigated the accident, and issued the following Probable Cause statement on ], ]:<ref name=asn/>
{{quotation|''Probable Cause:'' Lightning-induced ignition of the fuel/air mixture in the no. 1 reserve fuel tank with resultant explosive disintegration of the left outer wing and loss of control.}}


The CAB assigned more than a dozen investigators within an hour of the crash.<!--<ref name="nytimes1210a"/>--> The CAB team was assisted by investigators from the ], Pan Am, the ], ], the ], and the ] (FAA).<ref name="nytimes1210a"/> The costs of the CAB's investigations rarely exceeded $10,000, but the agency spent about $125,000 investigating this crash ({{inflation|US|125000|1963|fmt=eq|r=-5}}), not including the money spent by Boeing, the FAA, Pratt & Whitney, and other aircraft-part suppliers during further investigations.<ref name="mcclement"/>{{rp|page=31}}
==FAA reaction==
As a result of the crash of Flight 214, the ] ordered ]s to be installed on all commercial jets flying inside U.S. airspace.<ref name=guinness>{{cite web | title=Plane Crash Info Entry | url=http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1963/1963-54.htm | accessdate=2007-01-17}}</ref>


Initial theories included that severe turbulence had caused a fuel tank or fuel line to rupture, causing a fire from leaking fuel.<ref name="nytimes1210a"/><ref name="nytimes1211"/> ] ] of ], New York, contacted the FAA urging them to restrict jet operations in turbulent weather, but the FAA said it saw no need for such restrictions and Boeing concurred.<ref name="nytimes1211"/> Investigators also considered sabotage or lightning, but by nightfall after the first day they had not found evidence of either.<!--<ref name="nytimes1210a"/>--> Airline spokesmen discounted speculation that metal fatigue as a result of the aircraft's 1959 incident could have been a factor, saying the aircraft had been overhauled four times since the accident without any problems being found.<ref name="nytimes1210a"/>
==Volatile fuel vapor recommendation==
On ], ], nine days after the crash of Flight 214, Leon H. Tanguay, director of the ] Bureau of Safety, sent a letter to the FAA recommending several safety modifications as part of future aircraft design. One modification related specifically to volatile fuel vapors that can form inside of partly empty fuel tanks, which may be ignited by various potential ignition sources and cause an explosion. Mr. Tanguay's letter suggested reducing the volatility of the fuel/air gas mixture by introducing an inert gas, or by using air circulation.<ref name=cab/> Thirty three years later,<ref>The full TWA 800 NTSB report was issued in 2000, but a safety recommendation regarding fuel vapor inerting was sent to the FAA on December 13, 1996, according to the NTSB report.</ref> a similar recommendation was issued by the ] (the CAB's successor) after the ]<!-- lie, lie, lie ; it was shot down by a missile --> ] crash on ], ], with 230 fatalities, which was also determined to have been caused by the explosion of a volatile mixture inside a fuel tank.<ref name="ntsb final"></ref>


Investigators rapidly located the ].<ref name="nytimes1210a"/><ref name="ind1210a"/> Built to survive the impact of a crash, it had nevertheless been badly damaged.<ref name="nytimes1210a"/><ref name="nytimes1211"/> CAB chairman ] said, "It was so compacted there is no way to tell at this time whether we can derive any useful information from it."<ref name="ind1210a"/> Eventually, investigators extracted data from 95 percent of the tape in the recorder.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=8}}
==Guinness world record==

The crash of Pan Am Flight 214 was registered in the ] (]) as the "Worst Lightning Strike Death Toll".<ref name=guin> ] entry for Pan Am Flight 214</ref>
The recovery of the wreckage took 12 days, and 16 truckloads of debris were taken to ] in Washington, D.C., for investigators to examine and reassemble.<ref name="newarkpost"/> One investigator said it was nearly certain that an in-flight explosion of some kind had occurred.<ref name="ind1210a"/>
In ], ] was also brought down by a lightning strike, but has no mention in the Guinness Book of World Records, despite having more casualties (91 fatalities).

Within days, investigators said the crash had apparently been caused by an explosion that had blown off one of the wing tips.<!--<ref name="nytimes1213"/>--> The left wing tip had been found a few miles from the crash site with burn marks and bulging from what looked like an internal explosion.<!--<ref name="nytimes1213"/>--> Remnants of {{convert|9|ft|m|0}} of the wing tip had been found at several points along the flight path short of the impact crater.<!--<ref name="nytimes1213"/>--> Investigators said 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.<!--<ref name="nytimes1213"/>--> They also said the plane would have had to dive a considerable distance before it would break up and explode, but the aircraft had apparently caught fire close to its cruising altitude of {{convert|5,000|ft|m}}.<ref name="nytimes1213"/>

Before this flight, lightning had not been known to cause a plane to crash, despite many instances of planes being struck.<ref name="nytimes1213"/> In normal operations, an airplane is typically struck by lightning once or twice a year without causing any problems.<ref name="faalessons1"/> Experts and airline industry representatives disputed the early theory that lightning could have caused the aircraft to explode, calling it improbable.<ref name="newarkpost"/><ref name="faalessons1"/> The only similar event involving a mid-air fuel explosion caused by the weather occurred on June 26, 1959, when ], a ], crashed near ], as a result of ] igniting fuel vapor emanating from the fuel vents.<ref name="nytimes1213"/> Investigators examining Flight 214 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 them to conclude that lightning was indeed the cause.<ref name="mcclement"/>{{rp|page=34}} The CAB launched an urgent research program in an attempt to identify conditions in which fuel vapor in the wing tanks could have been ignited by lightning.<ref name="nytimes1213"/> Within a week of the crash, the FAA issued an order requiring the installation of ] on the approximately 100 Boeing jet airliners that had not already been so equipped.<ref name="mcclement"/>{{rp|page=22}}<ref name="nytimes1218"/> Aviation industry representatives criticized the order, stating that there was no evidence that the dischargers would have had any beneficial effect since they were not designed to handle the effects of lightning. They said that the order would only serve to create a false impression that the risk of lightning strikes had been resolved with little actual benefit.<ref name="nytimes1218"/>

The CAB conducted a public hearing in Philadelphia in February{{nbsp}}1964 as part of its investigation.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=14}} Experts had still not proven that lightning had caused the accident, but they were looking into ways that lightning could have triggered the explosion.<ref name="nytimes0227"/> The FAA also said that it would conduct research to determine the relative safety of the two types of jet fuel used in the United States, both of which were present in the fuel tanks of Flight 214.<ref name="nytimes0226"/> Criticism of the ] or ] jet fuel that was in some of the tanks was related to the fact that its vapor can be easily ignited at the low temperatures encountered in flight.<ref name="nytimes0127"/><ref name="nytimes0226"/> Advocates of Jet B countered that the fuel was as safe, or safer than, ], the other fuel used in turbine engines which was also present in Flight 214's fuel tanks.<ref name="nytimes0226"/>

In a test flight designed to simulate moderate to rough turbulence in flight, Pan Am tested a Boeing 707 to find out whether fuel could leak from the tank-venting system during such conditions. The test did not reveal any fuel discharge, but it did show that some fuel had entered the vent system, collected in the ], and returned to the tanks.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=9}} Pan Am said that it would test a new system to inject ] into the air spaces in the fuel tanks in aircraft, hoping to reduce the risk of ignition of the hazardous fuel-air mixtures in those spaces.<ref name="nytimes0227"/>

On March 3, 1965, the CAB released its final accident report.<ref name="nytimes0304"/> The investigators concluded that a lightning strike had ignited the fuel-air mixture in the number-one reserve fuel tank, which had caused an explosive disintegration of the outer part of the left wing, leading to a loss of control.<ref name="cab"/>{{rp|page=1}} Despite one of the most intensive research efforts in its history, the agency could not identify the exact mechanics of the fuel ignition, concluding that lightning had ignited fuel vapor through an as-yet-unknown pathway.<!--<ref name="nytimes0304"/>--> The board said, "It is felt that the current state of the art does not permit an extension of test results to unqualified conclusions of all aspects of natural lightning effects. The need for additional research is recognized and additional programming is planned."<ref name="nytimes0304"/>

==Legacy==
] (2022)|alt=Short rectangular granite monument that reads, "In memory of the 81 men, women and children who lost their lives when Pan Am Flight 214 crashed on this site December 8, 1963. Donated by Elkton Monuments"]]

The crash called attention to previously unknown risks to aircraft from lightning strikes. One month after the crash, the FAA formed a technical committee on lightning protection for fuel systems that included lightning experts as well as representatives from the FAA, CAB, and other government agencies.<ref name="faalessons1"/> The committee agreed to conduct both long-range and short-range studies of the impact of lightning on aircraft fuel systems and potential measures to defeat such hazards.<ref name="faaprogram"/> In 1967, the FAA updated ] standards for transport-category airplanes with requirements that fuel systems must be designed to prevent the ignition of fuel vapor within the system by lightning strikes and published guidance related to that requirement.<!--<ref name="faalessons1"/>--> Further requirements to protect the aircraft from lightning were enacted in 1970.<ref name="faalessons1"/>

Many aircraft-design improvements emerged as a result of the research. New regulations mandated the ] between the surface of the aircraft and any items installed on the surface of the wings near the tanks, such as fuel filler caps, drain valves, and access panels.<ref name="faalessons1"/><ref name="nytimes0304"/> Fuel-vent ]s were added to aircraft to detect and discharge fire suppressant to extinguish fuel vapors that ignite at the fuel-vent outlets.<ref name="mcclement"/>{{rp|page=36}}<ref name="faalessons1"/> Passive flame arrestors were also added to internal vent pipes to help extinguish any flames that make it past the first stage arrestors.<ref name="faalessons1"/> The minimum thickness of the aluminum surfaces of aircraft wings was increased to reduce the potential for lightning to completely melt through a wing surface into the wing's internal components and fuel tanks.<ref name="mcclement"/>{{rp|page=36}}<ref name="faalessons1"/>

In February{{nbsp}}1964, the FAA asked the Coordinating Research Council, a petroleum industry research group, to conduct a "technical review … in regard to the safety hazards of turbine fuels in civil aircraft operations."<!--<ref name="harris1965"/>--> The Council formed the Group on Aviation Fuel Safety, composed of engineers from the airline, airframe, and petroleum industries with the objective of studying the safety and usage of several aviation fuels and to determine "whether the adoption of a single turbine fuel by commercial aviation would result in a significant decrease in the likelihood of accidents and/or loss of life".<!--<ref name="harris1965"/>--> After a period of review, the Group concluded that although there are operational differences among the fuel types, the adoption of a single type of aviation fuel would not significantly improve the safety of commercial aviation and recommended that airlines continue to be individually responsible for fuel type selection.<ref name="harris1965"/>


==See also== ==See also==
{{Portalbar|Maryland|Aviation|1960s}}
* ]
*] &ndash; Another accident caused by a lightning strike
* ]
*] &ndash; Another accident caused by a lightning strike
*] &ndash; Aircraft accident caused by ignition of fuel vapor


==Notes== ==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
{{reflist}}
<ref name="baltsun1209">{{cite news | title=82 Die as Jet Crashes Near Elkton | newspaper= The Sun| location = Baltimore, Maryland | date = 9 December 1963 | access-date = 27 May 2019 | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/376814336 | via = Newspapers.com}}</ref>

<ref name=cab>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/Cab-aar1963-12-08-panam-214|title=Aircraft Accident Report: Pan American World Airways Inc Boeing 707-121, N709PA Near Elkton, Maryland December 8, 1963|website = Civil Aeronautics Board |access-date = 8 May 2019 | date=3 March 1965}} - </ref>

<ref name="cecilcounty">{{Cite web|url=https://cecilcountyhistory.com/first-emergency-responder-to-arrive-on-scene-of-1963-plane-crash-recalls-tragic-night/|title=First Emergency Responder to Arrive on Scene of 1963 Plane Crash Recalls Tragic Night|last=Dixon | first = Mike| date=23 June 2011|website=Window on Cecil County's Past| language=en-US| access-date=25 January 2020 | at= 1:40 of audio recording | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240515161038/https://cecilcountyhistory.com/first-emergency-responder-to-arrive-on-scene-of-1963-plane-crash-recalls-tragic-night/ | archive-date = 15 May 2024 | url-status = live}}</ref>

<ref name="faalessons1">{{cite web | url = https://www.faa.gov/lessons_learned/transport_airplane/accidents/N709PA | title = Lessons Learned from Civil Aviation Accidents: Pan Am Flight 214 at Elkton, Maryland&ndash;Accident overview | website= FAA Lessons Learned | publisher = Federal Aviation Administration | access-date = 9 April 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name="faaprogram">{{cite journal | url = https://lessonslearned.faa.gov/PanAm214/letter.pdf | title = Program for Investigation of Aircraft Lightning Protection Measures | date = 6 January 1964 | publisher = Federal Aviation Agency | website = FAA Lessons Learned | access-date = 15 May 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230415220327/https://lessonslearned.faa.gov/PanAm214/letter.pdf | archive-date = 15 April 2023 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name="harris1965">{{cite journal | title = Aviation Fuel Safety | date = 1965 | journal = SAE Technical Paper Series | doi = 10.4271/650269 | last = Harris | first = D. N. | volume = 1 }}</ref>

<ref name="ind1210a">{{cite news | url = https://newspaperarchive.com/disaster-clipping-dec-10-1963-4404473/ | title = CAB Probes Wreckage of Crashed Jet | via = NewspaperArchive | agency = Associated Press | newspaper= The Independent | date = 10 December 1963 | access-date = 9 April 2024 | location = Pasadena, California | page=1}}</ref>

<ref name="ind1210b">{{cite news | url = https://newspaperarchive.com/disaster-clipping-dec-10-1963-4404450/ | title = Last Words: '...Going Down in Flames' | via = NewspaperArchive | agency = Associated Press | newspaper= The Independent | date = 10 December 1963 | access-date = 9 April 2024 | location = Pasadena, California | page=1}}</ref>

<ref name="ironwood1211">{{cite news | url = https://newspaperarchive.com/disaster-clipping-dec-11-1963-4404459/ | title = Plane Crew Witnessed, Told About Crash of Jet Airliner | via = NewspaperArchive | agency = Associated Press | newspaper= Ironwood Daily Globe | date = 11 December 1963 | access-date = 9 April 2024 | location = Ironwood, Michigan | page=1}}</ref>

<ref name="mc2013">{{cite web | url = https://www.mcall.com/2013/12/07/remembering-the-souls-of-flight-214/ | accessdate = 21 May 2024 | date = 7 December 2013 | title = Remembering the Souls of Flight 214 | publisher = Tribune Publishing | website = The Morning Call | archive-date = 21 May 2024 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240521205729/https://www.mcall.com/2013/12/07/remembering-the-souls-of-flight-214/ | last1 = Sheehan | first1 = Daniel | last2 = Kraus | first2 = Scott}}</ref>

<ref name="mcclement">{{cite book |first=Fred |last=McClement |title=It Doesn't Matter Where You Sit |location=New York |publisher=Holt, Rinehart, and Winston |year=1969 |isbn=0030765102 |lccn=69016187| via = archive.org| url = https://archive.org/details/itdoesntmatterwh00mccl | access-date = 8 May 2019}}</ref>

<ref name="newarkpost">{{cite web | url = https://www.newarkpostonline.com/regional/years-later-witnesses-families-recall-flight-crash/article_c539e445-0cd1-5368-af70-f2bff93a1d93.html | access-date = 9 April 2024 | date = 8 December 2013 | website = Newark Post | title = 50 Years Later, Witnesses, Families Recall Flight 214 Crash | last = McBride | first = Dara | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20240409212957/https://www.newarkpostonline.com/regional/years-later-witnesses-families-recall-flight-crash/article_c539e445-0cd1-5368-af70-f2bff93a1d93.html | archive-date = 9 April 2024 | url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=newcastle0225>{{cite news | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=828511&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjcyNDc4ODczLCJpYXQiOjE1NTgwMjE1MjcsImV4cCI6MTU1ODEwNzkyN30.L3eN0B-CNC4NWwXvjuMYCzJ5nazxnvHEMz2ByvFmS0Y | title = Eyewitnesses Bear Out Supposition That Airliner Was Hit By Lightning |via = Newspapers.com | agency = UPI | newspaper= New Castle News | location = New Castle, Pennsylvania | date = 25 February 1964 | access-date = 16 May 2019 | page =1 }}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes0127">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/3QXKbdA | title = Army Expert Sees Danger in Some Types of Jet Fuel | newspaper = The New York Times | page = 46 | date = 27 January 1964 | access-date = 26 April 2024 | agency = Associated Press | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes0131">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/3KbVE5h | title = 2 in Tiny Plane Are Killed As It Rips Clipper in Flight | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 1 | date = 31 January 1949 | access-date = 9 May 2019 | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes022659">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/3WRDOwc | title = Jet Airliner Drops Engine in France | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 62 | date = 26 February 1959 | access-date = 9 May 2019 | agency=UPI | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes0226">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/4buKHYz | title = F.A.A. Will Study Jet Fuel Safety | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 21 | date = 26 February 1964 | access-date = 8 May 2019 | last=Hudson | first = Edward | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes0227">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/4dPvpzo | title = Pan Am To Test Fuel Safeguard | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 63 | date = 27 February 1964 | access-date = 8 May 2019 | last=Hudson | first = Edward | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes0304">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/4dShU1N | title = C.A.B. Fails to Fix Cause of a Crash | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 63 | date = 4 March 1965 | access-date = 16 May 2019 | agency=UPI | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes1209">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/3Ve0rd3 | title = 81 On Jet Killed in Flaming Crash Near Elkton, MD | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 1 | date = 9 December 1963 | access-date = 6 May 2019 | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes1210a">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/4e55EeH | title = Turbulence Cited in Jetliner Crash | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 48 | date = 10 December 1963 | access-date = 7 May 2019 | last=Witkin | first = Richard | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes1210c">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/3wTXvZt | title = List of Victims in Crash | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 48 | date = 10 December 1963 | access-date = 7 May 2019 | agency=Associated Press |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes1210d">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/3V9Flwh | title = Many Executives Victims of Crash | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 48 | date = 10 December 1963 | access-date = 7 May 2019 | agency=Associated Press |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes1210e">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/4avIMlo | title = London May Cover Insurance On Jet | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 48 | date = 10 December 1963 | access-date = 7 May 2019 | agency=Associated Press | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes1211">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/4aqRUaU | title = U.S. Sees No Need to Restrict Jets | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 94 | date = 11 December 1963 | access-date = 7 May 2019 | last=Witkin | first = Richard | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes1213">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/4bQ78XY | title = Bolt of Lightning May Have Hit Jet | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 51 | date = 13 December 1963 | access-date = 7 May 2019 | last=Witkin | first = Richard | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="nytimes1218">{{cite news | url = https://nyti.ms/3yse0g2 | title = Lightning Danger Stirs Air Experts | newspaper= The New York Times | page = 59 | date = 18 December 1963 | access-date = 8 May 2019 | last=Witkin | first = Richard | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

<ref name="pi1209">{{cite news | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/179212536/ | title = 81 Killed as Phila.-Bound Jet Crashes in Storm Near Elkton | last1 = Corr | first1=John P. | last2 = Janssen | first2 = Peter A. | newspaper= Philadelphia Inquirer | date = 9 December 1963 | access-date = 27 May 2019 | via = Newspapers.com | page=1 }}</ref>

<ref name="pi1210">{{cite news | url = https://www.newspapers.com/image/179212893/ | title = Key to Crash Mystery Found in Jet Debris | last1 = Corr | first1=John P. | last2 = McAdams | first2 = Leonard J. | newspaper= Philadelphia Inquirer | date = 10 December 1963 | access-date = 27 May 2019 | via = Newspapers.com | page=1 }}</ref>
}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category}}{{Wikisource|Aircraft Accident Report: Pan Am Flight 214|Pan Am Flight 214 – Accident Report – Civil Aeronautics Board}}
* &ndash; digitized versions
*
* (archived from on November 4, 2012)
*


{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1963}}
{{coord|39|36|28|N|75|47|20|W|region:US-MD_type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 1960s}}
{{Pan Am}}


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Latest revision as of 02:12, 3 January 2025

1963 aviation accident

Pan Am Flight 214
Photograph of an aircraft parked at an airportA Pan Am Boeing 707-121 aircraft similar to the aircraft involved in the crash
Accident
DateDecember 8, 1963
SummaryIn-flight explosion and break up caused by lightning strike
SiteElkton, Maryland, United States
39°36′47.8″N 75°47′29.7″W / 39.613278°N 75.791583°W / 39.613278; -75.791583
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 707-121
Aircraft nameClipper Tradewind
OperatorPan American World Airways
IATA flight No.PA214
ICAO flight No.PAA214
Call signCLIPPER 214
RegistrationN709PA
Flight originIsla Verde International Airport
StopoverFriendship Airport
DestinationPhiladelphia Int'l Airport
Occupants81
Passengers73
Crew8
Fatalities81
Survivors0

Pan Am Flight 214 was a scheduled flight of Pan American World Airways from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Baltimore, and then to Philadelphia in the United States. On December 8, 1963, while flying from Baltimore to Philadelphia, the Boeing 707-121 crashed near Elkton, Maryland. All 81 passengers and crew on the plane were killed. The crash was Pan Am's first fatal accident with the 707, which it had introduced to its fleet five years earlier.

An investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that a lightning strike had probably ignited fuel vapor in one of the aircraft's fuel tanks, causing an explosion that destroyed the left wing. The exact manner of ignition was never determined, but the investigation increased awareness of how lightning can damage aircraft, leading to new regulations that resulted in safety improvements. The crash also inspired research into the safety of several types of aviation fuel and into ways of changing the design of aircraft fuel systems to make them safer in the event of lightning strikes.

Background

Pan Am Flight 214 was a regularly scheduled flight from Isla Verde International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Philadelphia International Airport, with a scheduled stopover at Baltimore's Friendship Airport. Flight 214 left San Juan at 4:10 pm Eastern Time on December 8, 1963, with 140 passengers and eight crew members. It arrived in Baltimore at 7:10 pm. The crew did not report any maintenance issues or problems during the flight. After 67 passengers disembarked in Baltimore, the aircraft departed at 8:24 pm with its remaining 73 passengers for the final leg to Philadelphia International Airport.

Accident

Upon approaching Philadelphia, the pilots made radio contact with air traffic control at 8:42 pm. The controller informed the pilots that the airport was experiencing a line of thunderstorms, strong winds and turbulence. The controller asked whether the pilots wanted to proceed directly to the airport or to enter a holding pattern to wait for the storm to pass. The crew chose to remain at 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in a holding pattern with five other aircraft. The controller told the pilots to expect a delay of about 30 minutes. Heavy rain was falling in the holding area, with frequent lightning and gusts of wind of up to 50 miles per hour (43 kn; 80 km/h).

At 8:58 pm, the aircraft exploded. The pilots transmitted a final message: "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY. Clipper 214 out of control. Here we go." Seconds later, the first officer of National Airlines Flight 16, flying 1,000 feet (300 m) higher in the same pattern, radioed, "Clipper 214 is going down in flames." The aircraft crashed in a corn field in Cecil County, Maryland, east of Elkton, near the Delaware Turnpike, setting the rain-soaked field on fire. The plane was destroyed and everyone on board was killed. It was the first Pan Am jet to crash in the five years since the company had introduced their jet fleet.

Aftermath

Aircraft wreckage in a field
Wreckage from the flight after the crash

A Maryland state trooper who had been patrolling on Maryland Route 213 transmitted an alert on his radio as he drove toward the crash site. He was the first to arrive at the location and later stated,

It wasn’t a large fire. It was several smaller fires. The biggest section of the aircraft was a section of the fuselage with about 8 or 10 window frames ... and there was a wing and a couple of the tail wings lying in the area that was just a debris field ... It didn’t resemble an airplane. The engines were buried in the ground 10 to 15 feet (3 to 5 m) from the force of the impact.

Firefighters and police officers soon recognized that a rescue operation was pointless and all they could do was extinguish the fires and begin collecting bodies. The wreckage burned in intense fires that lasted more than four hours. First responders and police from across the county, along with men from the United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge, assisted with the response. They positioned flares around the area to define the accident scene and set up searchlights to illuminate it to ensure that the debris and human remains were undisturbed by curious spectators.

The remains of the victims were brought to the National Guard Armory in Philadelphia, where a temporary morgue was set up. Relatives showed up to the armory looking for information, but officials said it would not be possible to visually identify any of the victims. The state medical examiner needed nine days to complete the identification of the victims, using fingerprints, dental records, and personal effects that had been found nearby. In some cases, the team reconstructed the victims' faces as much as possible using mannequins.

The main crater left by the impact contained most of the aircraft's fuselage, the inner part of the left wing, the left main landing gear, and the nose gear. Portions of the plane's right wing and fuselage, right main landing gear, horizontal and vertical tail surfaces, and two of the engines were found within 360 feet (110 m) of the crater. A trail of debris from the plane extended 4 miles (6 km) from the point of impact. The complete left wingtip was found nearly 2 miles (3 km) from the crash site. Parts of the wreckage ripped a 40-foot wide (12 m) hole in a country road, shattered windows in a nearby house, and spread burning jet fuel across a wide area.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) was notified of the accident and investigators were dispatched from Washington, D.C. Witnesses of the crash described hearing the explosion and seeing the plane in flames as it descended. Of the 140 witnesses interviewed, 99 reported seeing an aircraft or a flaming object in the sky. Seven witnesses stated that they had seen lightning strike the aircraft. Seventy-two witnesses said that the ball of fire occurred at the same time as, or immediately after, the lightning strike. Twenty-three witnesses reported that the aircraft exploded after they had seen it ablaze. Witnesses saw the plane burning as it fell.

Aircraft

The aircraft was a Boeing 707-121 registered with tail number N709PA. Named the Clipper Tradewind, it was the oldest commercial jet airliner in the United States at the time of the crash. It had been delivered to Pan Am on October 27, 1958, and had flown a total of 14,609 hours. It was powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-6 turbojet engines, and its estimated value was $3.4 million (equivalent to $33,800,000 in 2023).

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 plane was reported to have entered a sudden spin during a demonstration of the aircraft's minimum control speed, during which the engine broke away. The pilot regained control of the aircraft and landed safely in London using the remaining three engines. The detached engine fell into a field on a farm southwest of Paris, where the flight had originated.

Passengers and crew

All 73 passengers died in the crash. They were all US residents.

The pilot in command was 45-year-old George F. Knuth, of Long Island. He had flown for Pan Am for 22 years and had 17,049 hours of flying experience, including 2,890 in the Boeing 707. In 1949, he was the captain of Pan Am Flight 100 that collided in flight with a Cessna 140, killing the two occupants of the Cessna, but with no injuries to the passengers or crew of his aircraft.

The first officer was John R. Dale, age 48, also of Long Island. He had 13,963 hours of flying time, of which 2,681 were in the Boeing 707. The second officer was Paul L. Orringer, age 42, of New Rochelle, New York. He had 10,008 hours, including 2,808 in Boeing 707 aircraft. The flight engineer was John R. Kantlehner of Long Island. He had 6,066 hours, including 76 hours in the Boeing 707.

Investigation

Diagram of a passenger aircraft showing locations of its fuel tanks in the wings and fuselage
Diagram showing the Boeing 707's fuel-tank layout.

The CAB assigned more than a dozen investigators within an hour of the crash. 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). The costs of the CAB's investigations rarely exceeded $10,000, but the agency spent about $125,000 investigating this crash (equivalent to $1,200,000 in 2023), not including the money spent by Boeing, the FAA, Pratt & Whitney, and other aircraft-part suppliers during further investigations.

Initial theories included that severe turbulence had caused a fuel tank or fuel line to rupture, causing a fire from leaking fuel. U.S. House Representative Samuel S. Stratton of Schenectady, New York, contacted the FAA urging them to restrict jet operations in turbulent weather, but the FAA said it saw no need for such restrictions and Boeing concurred. Investigators also considered sabotage or lightning, but by nightfall after the first day they had not found evidence of either. Airline spokesmen discounted speculation that metal fatigue as a result of the aircraft's 1959 incident could have been a factor, saying the aircraft had been overhauled four times since the accident without any problems being found.

Investigators rapidly located the flight data recorder. Built to survive the impact of a crash, it had nevertheless been badly damaged. CAB chairman Alan S. Boyd said, "It was so compacted there is no way to tell at this time whether we can derive any useful information from it." Eventually, investigators extracted data from 95 percent of the tape in the recorder.

The recovery of the wreckage took 12 days, and 16 truckloads of debris were taken to Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., for investigators to examine and reassemble. One investigator said it was nearly certain that an in-flight explosion of some kind had occurred.

Within days, investigators said the crash had apparently been caused by an explosion that had blown off one of the wing tips. The left wing tip had been found a few miles from the crash site with burn marks and bulging from what looked like an internal explosion. Remnants of 9 feet (3 m) of the wing tip had been found at several points along the flight path short of the impact crater. Investigators said 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. They also said the plane would have had to dive a considerable distance before it would break up and explode, but the aircraft had apparently caught fire close to its cruising altitude of 5,000 feet (1,500 m).

Before this flight, lightning had not been known to cause a plane to crash, despite many instances of planes being struck. In normal operations, an airplane is typically struck by lightning once or twice a year without causing any problems. Experts and airline industry representatives disputed the early theory that lightning could have caused the aircraft to explode, calling it improbable. The only similar event involving a mid-air fuel explosion caused by the weather occurred on June 26, 1959, when TWA Flight 891, a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, crashed near Milan, Italy, as a result of static electricity igniting fuel vapor emanating from the fuel vents. Investigators examining Flight 214 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 them to conclude that lightning was indeed the cause. The CAB launched an urgent research program in an attempt to identify conditions in which fuel vapor in the wing tanks could have been ignited by lightning. Within a week of the crash, the FAA issued an order requiring the installation of static electricity dischargers on the approximately 100 Boeing jet airliners that had not already been so equipped. Aviation industry representatives criticized the order, stating that there was no evidence that the dischargers would have had any beneficial effect since they were not designed to handle the effects of lightning. They said that the order would only serve to create a false impression that the risk of lightning strikes had been resolved with little actual benefit.

The CAB conducted a public hearing in Philadelphia in February 1964 as part of its investigation. Experts had still not proven that lightning had caused the accident, but they were looking into ways that lightning could have triggered the explosion. The FAA also said that it would conduct research to determine the relative safety of the two types of jet fuel used in the United States, both of which were present in the fuel tanks of Flight 214. Criticism of the JP-4 or Jet B jet fuel that was in some of the tanks was related to the fact that its vapor can be easily ignited at the low temperatures encountered in flight. Advocates of Jet B countered that the fuel was as safe, or safer than, Jet A, the other fuel used in turbine engines which was also present in Flight 214's fuel tanks.

In a test flight designed to simulate moderate to rough turbulence in flight, Pan Am tested a Boeing 707 to find out whether fuel could leak from the tank-venting system during such conditions. The test did not reveal any fuel discharge, but it did show that some fuel had entered the vent system, collected in the surge tanks, and returned to the tanks. Pan Am said that it would test a new system to inject inert gas into the air spaces in the fuel tanks in aircraft, hoping to reduce the risk of ignition of the hazardous fuel-air mixtures in those spaces.

On March 3, 1965, the CAB released its final accident report. The investigators concluded that a lightning strike had ignited the fuel-air mixture in the number-one reserve fuel tank, which had caused an explosive disintegration of the outer part of the left wing, leading to a loss of control. Despite one of the most intensive research efforts in its history, the agency could not identify the exact mechanics of the fuel ignition, concluding that lightning had ignited fuel vapor through an as-yet-unknown pathway. The board said, "It is felt that the current state of the art does not permit an extension of test results to unqualified conclusions of all aspects of natural lightning effects. The need for additional research is recognized and additional programming is planned."

Legacy

Short rectangular granite monument that reads, "In memory of the 81 men, women and children who lost their lives when Pan Am Flight 214 crashed on this site December 8, 1963. Donated by Elkton Monuments"
Monument erected at the crash site, Wheelhouse Drive, Elkton, Maryland (2022)

The crash called attention to previously unknown risks to aircraft from lightning strikes. One month after the crash, the FAA formed a technical committee on lightning protection for fuel systems that included lightning experts as well as representatives from the FAA, CAB, and other government agencies. The committee agreed to conduct both long-range and short-range studies of the impact of lightning on aircraft fuel systems and potential measures to defeat such hazards. In 1967, the FAA updated airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes with requirements that fuel systems must be designed to prevent the ignition of fuel vapor within the system by lightning strikes and published guidance related to that requirement. Further requirements to protect the aircraft from lightning were enacted in 1970.

Many aircraft-design improvements emerged as a result of the research. New regulations mandated the electrical bonding between the surface of the aircraft and any items installed on the surface of the wings near the tanks, such as fuel filler caps, drain valves, and access panels. Fuel-vent flame arrestors were added to aircraft to detect and discharge fire suppressant to extinguish fuel vapors that ignite at the fuel-vent outlets. Passive flame arrestors were also added to internal vent pipes to help extinguish any flames that make it past the first stage arrestors. The minimum thickness of the aluminum surfaces of aircraft wings was increased to reduce the potential for lightning to completely melt through a wing surface into the wing's internal components and fuel tanks.

In February 1964, the FAA asked the Coordinating Research Council, a petroleum industry research group, to conduct a "technical review … in regard to the safety hazards of turbine fuels in civil aircraft operations." The Council formed the Group on Aviation Fuel Safety, composed of engineers from the airline, airframe, and petroleum industries with the objective of studying the safety and usage of several aviation fuels and to determine "whether the adoption of a single turbine fuel by commercial aviation would result in a significant decrease in the likelihood of accidents and/or loss of life". After a period of review, the Group concluded that although there are operational differences among the fuel types, the adoption of a single type of aviation fuel would not significantly improve the safety of commercial aviation and recommended that airlines continue to be individually responsible for fuel type selection.

See also

Portals:

References

  1. ^ "Aircraft Accident Report: Pan American World Airways Inc Boeing 707-121, N709PA Near Elkton, Maryland December 8, 1963". Civil Aeronautics Board. March 3, 1965. Retrieved May 8, 2019. - Copy at the National Transportation Library
  2. ^ Witkin, Richard (December 10, 1963). "Turbulence Cited in Jetliner Crash". The New York Times. p. 48. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  3. "Last Words: '...Going Down in Flames'". The Independent. Pasadena, California. Associated Press. December 10, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
  4. ^ "81 On Jet Killed in Flaming Crash Near Elkton, MD". The New York Times. December 9, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  5. "Plane Crew Witnessed, Told About Crash of Jet Airliner". Ironwood Daily Globe. Ironwood, Michigan. Associated Press. December 11, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.
  6. Dixon, Mike (June 23, 2011). "First Emergency Responder to Arrive on Scene of 1963 Plane Crash Recalls Tragic Night". Window on Cecil County's Past. 1:40 of audio recording. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  7. ^ Corr, John P.; Janssen, Peter A. (December 9, 1963). "81 Killed as Phila.-Bound Jet Crashes in Storm Near Elkton". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1. Retrieved May 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ McBride, Dara (December 8, 2013). "50 Years Later, Witnesses, Families Recall Flight 214 Crash". Newark Post. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  9. "82 Die as Jet Crashes Near Elkton". The Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. December 9, 1963. Retrieved May 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Corr, John P.; McAdams, Leonard J. (December 10, 1963). "Key to Crash Mystery Found in Jet Debris". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 1. Retrieved May 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Eyewitnesses Bear Out Supposition That Airliner Was Hit By Lightning". New Castle News. New Castle, Pennsylvania. UPI. February 25, 1964. p. 1. Retrieved May 16, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Sheehan, Daniel; Kraus, Scott (December 7, 2013). "Remembering the Souls of Flight 214". The Morning Call. Tribune Publishing. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  13. "London May Cover Insurance On Jet". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 10, 1963. p. 48. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  14. "Jet Airliner Drops Engine in France". The New York Times. UPI. February 26, 1959. p. 62. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  15. ^ "List of Victims in Crash". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 10, 1963. p. 48. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  16. "Many Executives Victims of Crash". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 10, 1963. p. 48. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  17. "2 in Tiny Plane Are Killed As It Rips Clipper in Flight". The New York Times. January 31, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  18. ^ McClement, Fred (1969). It Doesn't Matter Where You Sit. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. ISBN 0030765102. LCCN 69016187. Retrieved May 8, 2019 – via archive.org.
  19. ^ Witkin, Richard (December 11, 1963). "U.S. Sees No Need to Restrict Jets". The New York Times. p. 94. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  20. ^ "CAB Probes Wreckage of Crashed Jet". The Independent. Pasadena, California. Associated Press. December 10, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.second part
  21. ^ Witkin, Richard (December 13, 1963). "Bolt of Lightning May Have Hit Jet". The New York Times. p. 51. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  22. ^ "Lessons Learned from Civil Aviation Accidents: Pan Am Flight 214 at Elkton, Maryland–Accident overview". FAA Lessons Learned. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  23. ^ Witkin, Richard (December 18, 1963). "Lightning Danger Stirs Air Experts". The New York Times. p. 59. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  24. ^ Hudson, Edward (February 27, 1964). "Pan Am To Test Fuel Safeguard". The New York Times. p. 63. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  25. ^ Hudson, Edward (February 26, 1964). "F.A.A. Will Study Jet Fuel Safety". The New York Times. p. 21. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  26. "Army Expert Sees Danger in Some Types of Jet Fuel". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 27, 1964. p. 46. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  27. ^ "C.A.B. Fails to Fix Cause of a Crash". The New York Times. UPI. March 4, 1965. p. 63. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  28. "Program for Investigation of Aircraft Lightning Protection Measures" (PDF). FAA Lessons Learned. Federal Aviation Agency. January 6, 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  29. Harris, D. N. (1965). "Aviation Fuel Safety". SAE Technical Paper Series. 1. doi:10.4271/650269.

External links

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1963 (1963)
Jan 13 Elephant Mountain B-52 crashFeb 1 Ankara mid-air collisionFeb 12 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 705Mar 2 Philippine Air Lines Flight 984Mar 5 Aeroflot Flight 191Mar 5 Camden PA-24 crashApr 4 Aeroflot Flight 25May 3 Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul Flight 144Jun 3 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 293Jul 2 Mohawk Airlines Flight 112Jul 3 NZ National Airways Flight 441Jul 13 Aeroflot Flight 012Jul 27 United Arab Airlines Flight 869Aug 12 Air Inter Flight 2611Aug 21 Aeroflot Flight 366Aug 24 Aeroflot Flight 663Sep 4 Swissair Flight 306Oct 22 BAC One-Eleven test crashNov 8 Aero Flight 217Nov 22 Poonch IAF helicopter crashNov 29 Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 831Dec 8 Pan Am Flight 214
1962   ◄    ►   1964
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