[18]:32 CAB chairman Alan S. Boyd told reporters shortly after the accident, "It was so compacted there is no way to tell at this time whether we can derive any useful information from it. The then director of DuPonts engineering physics research laboratories told the paper he had once been on a plane struck by lightning and those inside the cabin hardly noticed; the metal skin of the airplane carried the lightnings current. Another was due to a bomb, and another due to a failed landing attempt. I guess our minds do that.. In-flight fire damage was noted on the three steel tracks for the inboard flap on the track at the inboard end of the outboard flap, the inner end of the outboard flap, fragments of the spoilers, dump chute components, coverlip doors, and fragments of the fore flaps. The crash site, centered in a field of the Berry Family Farm, covered a four-mile area. The Historical Society expects hundreds to visit this weekend to pay their respects and record their memories. George F. Knuth was an Iowa farm boy who originally wanted to be a science teacher, but then joined the military to fly planes. And in Elkton, an unusual winter thunderstorm rattled the small town with pouring rain, wind and flashes of lightning. Additionally, 28 witnesses saw objects fall from the aircraft in flight and 48 described portions of the aircraft they observed to be in flames. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Welcome to a Window on Cecil Countys past. [25] The FAA 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. Then we went on and made the landing as though nothing had happened, said one passenger, D. E. Wilson, of Peekskill, N.Y., in the article. The crew elected to remain at 5,000 feet (1,500m) in a holding pattern with five other aircraft. Be Nice. 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. The flight crew of N709PA was properly certificated and qualified for this flight. The Committee was informed currently on the investigative results and, conversely, persons responsible for the investigation were advised as information evolved from the research activities to the mutual benefit of all responsible parties. I was with security, Bainbridge, MD, USN, asleep, when we taken to the site, Elkton, Md, it was dark, cold and a wet cornfield. 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. Numerous small, lustrous craters were found in the wing tip cap ranging in diameter from 116 to 18 inch. They said that the order would create a false impression that the risk of lightning strikes had been resolved. The lightning protection requirements of the Federal Aviation Agency were satisfied. The heaviest concentration of soot was below and aft of the tank vent screen. 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. https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Aircraft_Accident_Report:_Pan_Am_Flight_214&oldid=11128768. I was just a small boy at the time and never heard about it previously. The bottom surge tank skin was curled downward at a fracture line along the tank and closure rib. Magnetic strength surveys were made using a comparative Gaussmeter with a probe containing ferrous core coils, current amplifier, microammeter, and sensitivity adjustment. I am so sorry for your loss, Edwin. He responded to a call he heard on the radio while working on his homework Sunday night. That November, the family had even been able to travel to Antigua for a short vacation. The history of this aircraft reveals no item that stands in casual relationship with the accident. 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. These flaps were extended 11/2 to 21/2 degrees. [12] The state medical examiner needed nine days to complete identifications, using fingerprints, dental records, and nearby personal effects. Sincerely, Ron Heck. 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. When relatives, friends and local witnesses gather in memory of the crash this weekend, members of the historical society will meet them privately to record their recollections. 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). Be Proactive. I was 15 at the time when a youngster like me most needed his Dad for guidance and direction. Members of the Airline Pilots Association then arrived in the middle of the night to guard the house against the press. The tape shows that the aircraft stayed at 5,000 feet for approximately 15 seconds after the beginning of the unusual excursions and then descended rapidly to ground level with little change in heading. 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. [14] Additional charge cells in the cloud may then successively discharge through this main ionized channel as a single flickering flash which may last as long as one second. He credited his team for the smooth emergency landing. [1]:9 Pan Am said that it would test a new system to inject inert gas into the air spaces above the fuel tanks in aircraft in an attempt to reduce the risk of hazardous fuel-air mixtures that could ignite. Comments containing links to outside Here we go." Accelerated studies have recently been completed into these hazards to provide technical data on their probably occurrence and control. Residents recalled their yards lighting up and houses shaking. A magnetic strength survey[9] was made of the steel components of the left and right wings, center fuel tank, and the horizontal and vertical tail sections. The test conditions were: Fuel vent shutoff float valve removed from Nos. The stepped leader advances toward the ground in a series of discrete branching movements, forming an ionized path down from the cloud. Four rivet heads and small areas of metal adjacent to the rivets were burned off the top surface near the trailing edge of the wing tip. It didnt resemble an airplane. The first, in November 1962, happened when a Los Angeles-bound Varig Airlines 707 struck a mountain. [1]: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 vapors through an as-yet unknown pathway. Lightning discharges can be hazardous to aircraft fuel systems by possibly igniting the fuel vapor within the tanks. March 27, 1977. [5] Of the 140 witnesses interviewed, 99 reported seeing an aircraft or a flaming object in the sky. In memory of his father, Sherman will light a yahrzeit candle. Practical means whereby these potential hazards can be eliminated, as demonstrated within the limits of the testing facility, were developed and, in the case of access plates, have already been applied to aircraft in service. Snopes previously debunked the story in 2019, the same year that a YouTube page called "Bright Side" breathed new life into the myth when it published a viral video that has been viewed more than 19.2 million times.. PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CECIL COUNTY, COURTESY OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CECIL COUNTY, COURTESY OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF CECIL COUNTY, 50 years later, witnesses, families recall Flight 214 crash, By Dara McBride The fiery blast in the stormy Maryland sky caused the plane to break up in flight. The Passenger list of Pan Am 103 - Plane Truth Your email address will not be published. The crash was Pan Am's first fatal accident with the 707, which it had introduced to its fleet five years earlier. websites will be deleted. Readings obtained varied from 0.000 ohms to 250,000 ohms. The recovered wing and tail components were laid out in their respective positions for study of fire damage and the left wing tip and outboard sections were examined for evidence of lightning damage. Debris, pieces of the plane and oil were scattered through the field, in trees and on cars and houses. First responders later found and returned Joyce and Roberts wedding rings to the family. A leak in the general vicinity of the transfer tube could possibly produce this result, but the fire could not be expected to progress through the trailing edge almost to the fuselage causing the observed inflight fire damage prior to failure of the wing near the source of the 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. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Can you list the top facts and stats about Pan Am Flight 214? Henry Shaffer, far right, was only 16 when he volunteered as a fire fighter at the scene of the crash. 1 and 2 main tanks intact; 12,000 pounds of fuel in tanks 1, 2, 3, and 4 main and with the reserve and outer tanks empty; flight conditions simulating moderate to rough air turbulence with skidding two minute turns. Information obtained by analyses, research utilizing laboratory produced electrical discharges and observations of natural lightning damage was utilized in determining where and how to make the detailed examination. 3 and 4 main tanks and float valves in the Nos. He never lost control for an instant. 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. One month after the crash, the FAA formed a technical committee on lightning protection for fuel systems, including experts from the FAA, CAB, other government agencies and lightning experts. Thus, the actual mechanics of ignition of the left reserve tank contents was not determined. Within a radius of 360 feet from the main impact crater, there were numerous pieces of dense wreckage including parts of the right wing and fuselage, right main landing gear, horizontal and vertical tail surfaces and the Nos. [18]:36[28], The aircraft involved in the crash, N709PA, before being delivered to Pan Am, United States Naval Training Center Bainbridge, "Aircraft Accident Report: Pan American World Airways Inc Boeing 707-121, N709PA Near Elkton, Maryland December 8, 1963", "Pan Am system time table, December 1-31, 1963", "81 on Jet Killed in Flaming Crash Near Elkton, MD", "Plane Crew Witnessed, Told About Crash of Jet Airliner", "First Emergency Responder to Arrive on Scene of 1963 Plane Crash Recalls Tragic Night", "81 Killed as Phila.-Bound Jet Crashes in Storm Near Elkton", "50 years later, witnesses, families recall Flight 214 crash", "Key to Crash Mystery Found in Jet Debris", "2 in Tiny Plane Are Killed As It Rips Clipper in Flight", "Eyewitnesses Bear Out Supposition That Airliner Was Hit By Lightning", "Lessons Learned from Civil Aviation Accidents: Pan Am Flight 214 at Elkton, MarylandAccident overview", "Lessons Learned from Civil Aviation Accidents: Pan Am Flight 214 at Elkton, MarylandResulting Safety Initiatives", "Program for Investigation of Aircraft Lightning Protection Measures", Pan Am Flight 214 Accident Report Civil Aeronautics Board, A Pan American promotional film that features Clipper Tradewind (N709PA), A picture of the aircraft involved in the accident, Another photograph of the aircraft involved, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pan_Am_Flight_214&oldid=1134143929, In-flight explosion and break up caused by, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 05:42. On December 8, 1963, Pan Am Flight 214, a Boeing 707-121 four-engine turbojet named Clipper Tradewind by Pan Am, took off from Isla Verde International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico at 4:10 p.m. EST, for a flight to Philadelphia with 73 passengers and 8 crew on board. In his 22 years with Pan Am, Knuth had 17,049 hours total flying, with 2,890 hours flying a Boeing 707. 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. As I look back on it now, I have to say that maybe I receive some solace or comfort now in having assisted with the recovery of the crash victims bodies, as difficult as it was for me then, he said. The aircraft with 73 passengers and a crew of eight was on an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance. Local residents became witnesses, reporting they saw lightning strike the plane and send an orange fireball to the ground. A general alarm went out to all available ambulances and the North East Fire Company answered the call. Twenty-three witnesses reported that the aircraft exploded after they had seen it ablaze. It included the wreckage farthest from the main crater and consisted of nearly all the pieces of the left outer wing panel, notable exceptions being the inboard portions of the outer panel rear spar and aileron. Back home, there were husbands and wives, sons and daughters, sister and brothers and friends.
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