[1]:2 It operated three times a week as the counterpart to Flight 213, which flew from Philadelphia to San Juan via Baltimore earlier the same day. Based on evidence furnished the Board, it is reasonable to conclude that the state of the art was fully exploited within the limits imposed by basic airplane structural and configuration requirements in the design of the fuel system, including the vent outlets. Thirty-three years later a similar recommendation was issued by the NTSB (the CAB Bureau of Safety's successor) after the TWA Flight 800 Boeing 747 crash on July 17, 1996, with 230 fatalities, which was also determined to have been caused by the explosion of a volatile mixture inside a fuel tank. DCA13MA120.aspx - NTSB The discharge can also occur between oppositely charged regions within a cloud, or in different clouds. Don't knowingly lie about anyone On December 8, 1963, the Boeing 707-121 serving the flight crashed near Elkton, Maryland, while flying from Baltimore to Philadelphia, after being hit by lightning. There were three groups of golfers, the alumni from Northeastern University who took a winter vacation every year, two honeymoon couples and a young woman bringing her infant son to meet his grandparents for the first time. Witnesses in the accident area described the weather as cloudy, with light rain falling, and lightning. N709PA left San Juan as Pan American Flight 214 at 1610 and arrived at Baltimore at 1935. It was the end of the flight, but the beginning of a hellacious series of days. A visual inspection of the aircraft, including examination for fuel leaks, was performed by a Pan American mechanic, while the aircraft was being refueled, and no discrepancies were noted. There was the airplane stewardess who changed her flight plans at the last minute. 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. The center tank[8] bottom skin was separated in three pieces. There was slight sooting or discoloration on the reserve tank side of the spar and slight charring of the sealant at the juncture of the spar and the closure rib. You werent obligated to do it, but you wanted to do it, you wanted to help your neighbor in need, he said. However, there were two distinct wreckage paths and three concentrations in this area. In a communitys history, there are lots of things that add to the heritage of that place. A radio call signifying an aircraft in distress. 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. The flight was cleared to climb to 5,000 feet and recleared to the New Castle VOR. A [portion of] fuselage with about 8 or 10 window frames was about the only large recognizable piece I could see when I pulled up. [26], Pan Am conducted a flight test in a Boeing 707 to investigate whether fuel could leak from the tank-venting system during a test flight that attempted to simulate moderate to rough turbulence in flight. Then the wing of the plane rotated in the sky as it was falling. "[8], Firefighters and police officers soon recognized that little could be done other than to extinguish the fires and to begin collecting bodies. Application of known lightning protection information as well as specific testing was applied during the design stages. In response to the findings, officials called for all commercial jets flying in the U.S. to be installed with lightning discharge wicks. [3], Investigators rapidly located the flight data recorder, but it was badly damaged in the crash. He has few memories of his father the garden, sitting on his lap at Christmas dinner, watching him ride a bike but hes been able to feel connected to him by traveling to places his father went. In the days following the crash, area newspapers like the Delaware County Daily Times reported on the crash. December 8 2018 Pan Am Flight 214 was a scheduled flight of Pan American World Airways from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Periodically, we hear from other people who had family members on that flight. Sincerely, Ron Heck. Some years, the anniversary of his fathers death falls during Hanukkah. Timenote.info, Biedrba, Abinfoserviss 2011-2020, Terms, Phone: +371 67 842135, E-mail: [emailprotected]. Local residents became witnesses, reporting they saw lightning strike the plane and send an orange fireball to the ground. Error! The flight crew of N709PA was properly certificated and qualified for this flight. The detached engine fell into a field on a farm southwest of Paris, where the flight had originated, with no injuries. 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. Edwin, were you able to make the remembrance program held in Elkton as the community and family members came together for a weekend to mark the passage of 50 years since this tragedy shattered so many lives? These limits vary according to the temperature and pressure. Vacation clothing, some hanging in trees and some lying neatly folded on hangers in a ditch. 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. The higher readings were obtained where bondings had been broken. [28][27] Fuel-vent flame arrestors were added to aircraft to detect and discharge fire suppressant to extinguish fuel vapors that ignite at fuel-vent outlets. Type A is a kerosene type turbine fuel with a flash point of 110-150F. A large portion of the left wing separated in flight and the aircraft crashed in flames approximately ten nautical miles southwest of the New Castle, Delaware VOR. [1]:1,3[5] The aircraft was completely destroyed, and all of the occupants were killed. [1]:14[5] Witnesses of the crash described hearing the explosion and seeing the plane in flames as it descended. Cecil County had experienced its own loss when Steward Godwin, of the North East Fire Company, collapsed at the scene about 1:30 a.m. on Monday. 1 and 4 main tanks 12,000 pounds of fuel each, 31 percent Type B; center tank, estimated 15.05 gallons residual fuel, 100 percent Type B. The story of an American plane reappearing after 37 years is a myth They were told to continue to hold and they would be cleared as soon as possible. Nearer to and still northeast of the crater there were numerous pieces of still denser wreckage, such as fragments of wing structure surrounding the center section fuel tank, air conditioning packs including the primary heat exchangers, the right horizontal stabilizer, etc. Choose wisely! However, the story of Pan Am Flight 914, much like other tales published by The Weekly World News, is bogus. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. This portion of the recording is not entirely clear, but this represents the best interpretation possible due to the quality of the tape. Analysis of these samples revealed no discrepancies. The long axis of the deposits varied from 18 degrees inboard to 4 degrees outboard. [1]:4 The complete left wingtip was found nearly 2 miles (3km) from the crash site. reported it was the seventh disaster involving a Boeing 707. There was an area of extensive damage on the top surface of the tip along the end rib, in and adjacent to the joint where the wing tip cap and the top wing skin were attached to the end rib. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Aircraft_Accident_Report:_Pan_Am_Flight_214&oldid=11128768. You have permission to edit this article. websites will be deleted. The need for additional research is recognized and additional programming is planned. There was one trip when the plane suddenly dropped, knocking a flight attendant unconscious after she hit the ceiling. On that cold rainy December evening,as lighting periodically illuminated the cornfield, acounty firefighter also died in the line of duty. If lightning was the cause of a fatal crash, it would be a first in the history of U.S. commercial aviation. Lightning discharge damage judged to be of recent origin and of an extent compatible with the reportedly observed massive lightning stroke was observed in several locations at the left wing tip area. It was a muddy night because it had been raining awful hard. One craft, lightning crackling nearby as it circled, was Pan American Airways Flight 214. And in Elkton, an unusual winter thunderstorm rattled the small town with pouring rain, wind and flashes of lightning. It was a natural response for the town to come together in a time of need. Regards,Edwin Montilla. On that night, Dec. 8, 1963, Flight 214, a Pan American Airways Boeing 707, was returning to the U.S. from from San Juan, Puerto Rico. One of the neighbors, a physician, came back to the house with Elizabeth to administer a sedative. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-321B powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B engines. The crater contained most of the fuselage and left inner wing wreckage, the left main gear and the nose gear. These records revealed no history of fuel leaks, lightning strikes, or static discharges. Then she hollered loud and clear over the crackling radio waves: Station 3 you have a plane crash., Elkton Chief Edgar Slaughter was in charge from the scene that night. He tried to keep in the Christmas spirit for his girls. The most easterly piece of wreckage found along this path was approximately 17,400 feet from the crater. 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. Reflections on Yesterday Cecil County History. There was also soot under the mud on the inboard flap gear box area. We never let anyone go away mad when we say goodbye, Carol said. Despite those who had rushed to the scene with him, he needed more help. There was no evidence of pitting in the metal surface of the rib. Chris Knuth, son to the pilot, has found solace in digging through the details of the crash. The guidance and assistance of recognized authorities in the field of lightning physics and research were available and used in this phase of the investigation. That year I took a Greyhound bus home to Chattanooga. Comments containing links to outside The controller informed the pilots that the airport was experiencing a line of thunderstorms in the vicinity, accompanied by strong winds and turbulence. With the jet-setting lifestyle, farewells arent said lightly. Metallographic examination of several areas of lightning damage showed characteristic deposits of porous fused metal on the damaged surfaces and a distinct boundary between the affected and unaffected metal.