Clipper 214 out of control. A general alarm went out to all available ambulances and the North East Fire Company answered the call. He tried to keep in the Christmas spirit for his girls. Prior to departure from San Juan the captain of Flight 214 was briefed on the weather along his intended route to Philadelphia. Direct strokes may penetrate the wall of the tank or cause internal sparking, either from the high resistive and/or inductive voltages developed across internal discontinuities, or from possibly high voltages induced in the fuel probe wiring. [6] NAL 16 was in the same holding pattern as Flight 214 but 1,000 feet higher, and the first officer had seen the Pan American flight descending on fire. This horrifying disaster, the worst in Cecil County history, is something that is seared into the collective memory of the community. In an area about 1,600 feet long, centered approximately 4,300 feet from the impact crater, the wreckage consisted mainly of more dense pieces, such as center section fuel cell bags and backing strips, horizontal tail leading edge deicer strips, etc. 2 piloti pazudui bez vsts, Antonov An-12 cargo plane with Russian crew crash-landed in South Sudan, local media report, W katastrofie lotu S-Air 9607 pod Miskiem zgino 5 osb. [1]:14 Experts had still not concluded that lightning had caused the accident, but they were investigating how lightning could have triggered the explosion. The area where the plane crashed off Delancy Road is now the neighborhood of Turnquist, but was then only populated by a few farm houses. Onboard: 73 passengers and eight crew members. A lightning strike igniting a fuel tank was ruled the cause. As a child my grandparents lived in Rising Sun and my moms uncle Charlie Ritchie owned Ritchie Motors. The crew acknowledged with "Roger, no hurry, just wanted you to know that we'll accept a clearance." Flammability is also affected by misting or foaming of the fuel. 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. The Federal Aviation Agency sponsored research, initiated immediately subsequent to the accident, with the intent of improving protection from ignition of fuel by lightning strikes to aircraft. The test conditions were: Fuel vent shutoff float valve removed from Nos. Don't knowingly lie about anyone For more information on this blog click here. From the facts of the investigation, it has been determined that explosions occurred in the left reserve, center, and right reserve fuel tanks. His sister, Carol, keeps flying, too. The pilot regained control of the aircraft and landed safely in London using the remaining three engines. Under the leadership of commercial aviation pioneer Juan Trippe, the . First responders and police from throughout Cecil County had responded to the call, along with men from the Bainbridge Naval Training Center. 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. When the general alarm went out for all available ambulances, Steward W. Godwin, 56, responded on the North East Volunteer Fire Company unit. The need for additional research is recognized and additional programming is planned. Sign up today! The bearing of this path was 250 degrees from its easterly end toward the impact crater, however, westerly extension of the path centerline passed approximately 2,500 feet south of the crater. 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. They were told to continue to hold and they would be cleared as soon as possible. I still like Christmas very much, he said. At 8:24p.m. EST, flight 214 departed for Philadelphia with 73 passengers and 8 crew members on board. 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. Lightning discharges can be hazardous to aircraft fuel systems by possibly igniting the fuel vapor within the tanks. Use the 'Report' link on The exact sequence and timing of the subsequent explosions and inflight fires are not known and are, in fact, somewhat academic with respect to the probable cause of the accident. [27] 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 left outer wing, leading to a loss of control. Mr Tanguay's letter suggested reducing the volatility of the fuel/air gas mixture by introducing an inert gas, or by using air circulation. Newark Police investigating three burglaries, car theft, Conservation Corner: Environmental tips from the Conservation Advisory Commission, Police identify UD freshman killed in crash on Library Avenue. 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. The accident is registered in the Guinness Book of World Records (2005) as the "Worst Lightning Strike Death Toll.". Those waiting for loved ones to come home heard erroneous reports of a crash in Newark, Del., and began to worry. The surge tank box[7] was intact except for a 2.2 inch opening along the top extending from spar to spar. [15] He had a total flying time of 6,066 hours, including 76 hours in the Boeing 707. 1 and 4 engines, pylons and sections of their cowling. Numerous small, lustrous craters were found in the wing tip cap ranging in diameter from 116 to 18 inch. Mae Grant, who was visiting her parents with her 3-month-old son at the Delancy Road family home at the time of the crash, recalled the dramatic moment in another previous interview with the Whig. From left to right, George F. Knuth, pilot of Flight 214, with Carol, wife Betty, Mary, Sara and son Chris in the front. Special from the Cecil Whig. The flight was properly dispatched and cleared, and conformed to the air traffic control rules. The weather that Sunday night was an odd storm rain, sleet, thunder and lightning more appropriate for a sticky summer night. 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. [23] Scientists and airline industry representatives vigorously disputed the theory that lightning could have caused the aircraft to explode, calling it improbable. The group further concluded that additional research into the nature and effect of lightning strikes and electro-static discharges is warranted and that more information is desirable regarding the phenomena of fuel spray, misting, and localized vapor-air mixtures in tanks under actual flight conditions. Share with Us. A majority of the components of the various systems within N709PA were destroyed. I remember my dad yelling, Run, and I remember saying, Run where?, Before 9 p.m., Rosemary Culley, the lone emergency service dispatcher on that night, issued a couple routine airchecks. Pan American Flight 214, a Boeing 707-121, N709PA, departed Friendship International Airport, Baltimore, Maryland, for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 2024[1] December 8, 1963. MAYDAY. Cecil County witnessed the dangers of the Jet Age relatively early. [15], The pilot was George F. Knuth, 45, of Long Island. The aircraft, with 73 passengers and a crew of eight, was on an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance. On this blog, you will find posts on the history of Cecil County, both old and modern, and the personal stories of the people, first and secondhand. Flying to Puerto Rico meant several days at home before several days away. The loss of Bob, meant that my father, who was new to the business, had to pick up his uncles duties. websites will be deleted. Flight 214 was in a holding pattern awaiting an instrument approach to the Philadelphia International Airport when it was struck by lightning. We heard so many of these stories as family members and first responders came together, talked, and reflected on the passage of 50 years since the disaster. Once there, responders realized there werent going to be any survivors. This page was last edited on 25 March 2021, at 12:11. These sources indicate that a lightning stroke begins when the air's resistance to the passage of electricity breaks down. He never lost control for an instant. Although the dihedral angle of the wing in normal flight would tend to cause an inboard flow of some of the released fuel along the rear spar lower edge, various obstructions in the trailing edge and chordwise discontinuities in the lower surface of the trailing edge would tend to localize any fire to the general area of the leak. Just when the county thought it couldnt get any worse, Dec. 8 arrived to deliver the largest aviation disaster in Marylands history, said Mike Dixon, of the Historical Society of Cecil County. The flight was vectored for a visual approach to runway . The Board determines the probable cause of this accident was lightning-induced ignition of the fuel/air mixture in the No. I was just a small boy at the time and never heard about it previously. The operations representative told the captain the the front passed Baltimore " a little while ago " and would be in Philadelphia " about 0125Z (2025).". All persons aboard, 73 passengers and eight crew members, perished in the crash and the aircraft was destroyed. While residents were returning from evening church services, finishing up a late supper or watching The Ed Sullivan Show, five airliners were circling above Elkton, waiting for the OK to fly the 44 miles home to Philadelphia. Sincerely, Ron Heck. The record of the first 32 minutes of flight was normal and indicated no severe turbulence. 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. Simulation of lightning strikes to the extent of the testing facility capability did not produce any recorded evidence of sparking within the tank. Here we go. A few seconds later: Clipper 214 is going down in flames., 8:59 p.m.: The aircraft crashes outside of Elkton. [5], At 8:58pm, the aircraft exploded. Still, if there was anyone to trust in the skies in 1963, it was George F. Knuth, then 45 and pilot of Flight 214. The farthest piece of wreckage was approximately 19,600 feet and the nearest in this path 8,200 feet from the main impact crater. 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. A smaller hole was burned adjacent to the outboard edge of the access cover over the fluxgate compass transmitter. The interior of the surge tank was heavily sooted on all sides and the sealant was burned inside. The detached engine fell into a field on a farm southwest of Paris, where the flight had originated, with no injuries. [1]:1,3[5] The aircraft was completely destroyed, and all of the occupants were killed. It was a natural response for the town to come together in a time of need. Below the lower limit the mixture is too lean to burn and above the higher limit the mixture is too rich to burn. 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. However, the four powerplant pods in their entirety yielded only evidence of their having separated in flight due to excessive load factors, without engine failure or malfunction prior to separation. There was evidence that fuel entered the vent system, collected in the surge tanks, and returned to the proper fuel tanks. While searching for survivors about 1:30thatmorning he suddenly collapsed into the arms of Andrew Scarborough, another North East member, the News Journal reported. Debris, pieces of the plane and oil were scattered through the field, in trees and on cars and houses. At 2058 a "MAYDAY"[2] transmission was heard from the flight. For people who grew up in America between WWII and the Korean War, aviation was a thrilling new frontier, explains Thomas Anthony, director of the University of Southern Californias Aviation Safety and Security Program. These streamers have been found to be in the duration and energy range required to ignite flammable mixtures. The day of the crash, Arnold was returning with friends from a golf trip. I cannot describe the long suffering I had endured to this day. 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. I was 15 at the time when a youngster like me most needed his Dad for guidance and direction. March 27, 1977. The strange story of Pan Am Flight 914 is frequently shared by UFO blogs and . Source: Singerly Fire Company Museum, Last Train to the Conowingo Railroad Station, Rusty Brandon Watching the Night & Waiting for the Dawn at Union Hospital, A Susquehanna River Village That Vanished -- Conowingo, Pan American Airways Crash Worst Disaster in Maryland History, Our Lady of the Highways Watches Over Stretch of Interstate Where Massive Pileup Occurred, An Ancient Punishment - The Whipping Post Last Used in Cecil in 1940, Memorial Remembers Victims of Pan American Plane Crash in Elkton, New Chesapeake City Virtual Exhibit Opens on Web, An Ancient Punishment The Whipping Post Last Used in Cecil in 1940, Remembering Dr. James L Johnson: He Worked to End the Racially Segregated Healthcare System. An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. As a branch of the stepped leader is approaching the ground, the intensified electric field causes an upward moving streamer to form at a ground projection and advance toward the stepped leader. 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. 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. Top headlines sent to your inbox. Periodically, we hear from other people who had family members on that flight. 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. i have the full list of victims(including the crew). [1]:3 Heavy rain was falling in the holding area, with frequent lightning and gusts of wind up to 50 miles per hour (80km/h). 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. It was the end of the flight, but the beginning of a hellacious series of days. Movement of the probe across parts checked induced voltage into probe coils and results were shown in micro amperes. It was just one muddy mess, Hash said. Electrical resistance measurements were taken across 21 fuel tank access plates. A trail of debris from the plane extended as far as 4 miles (6km) from the point of impact. At this stage the hijackers still believed a pilot would be found to fly the . 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.. The history of this aircraft reveals no item that stands in casual relationship with the accident. In addition, the metal splatter on the left horizontal stabilizer leading edge and inflight fire damage to the left elevator could occur only after loss of the left outer wing. 8:58 p.m.: The crew transmits: MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY. Eastern time with 140 passengers and eight crew members, and arrived in Baltimore at 7:10pm. With its swift speeds and glamorous allure, the 1958 debut of the Boeing 707 is generally credited with ushering the Jet Age, which peaked in the 1960s. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, Residents recalled their yards lighting up and houses shaking. [1]:1 All the passengers were residents of the United States. This briefing included a discussion of SIGMET No. I try to make Christmas for my wife and kids a special time.. Readings obtained varied from 0.000 ohms to 250,000 ohms. Turbulence, unusually fast and heavy icing and the possibility of an insufficient lift in the jets wings were all theorized as causes. JP-4 advocates countered that the fuel was as safe, or safer than, kerosene, the other fuel used in jets at the time. Dedicated in 2011,it was placedwhere the plane hit ahillside, taking 53 lives on Memorial Day 1947. [10] They patrolled the area with flares and set up searchlights to define the accident scene and to ensure that the debris and human remains were undisturbed by curious spectators.