Allegheny Airlines Flight 371

Last updated
Allegheny Airlines Flight 371
Martin 202A, Allegheny Airlines JP5958135.jpg
An Allegheny Airlines Martin 2-0-2, similar to the aircraft involved
Occurrence
DateDecember 1, 1959
SummaryErroneous instrument indication
SiteBald Eagle Mountain South Williamsport, Pennsylvania
41°13′32.09″N76°54′38.45″W / 41.2255806°N 76.9106806°W / 41.2255806; -76.9106806
Aircraft
Aircraft type Martin 2-0-2
Operator Allegheny Airlines
Registration N174A
Flight origin Philadelphia International Airport
Stopover Harrisburg-York State Airport
2nd stopover Williamsport Regional Airport
3rd stopover Bradford Regional Airport
4th stopover Port Erie Airport
Destination Cleveland Hopkins International Airport
Passengers22
Crew4
Fatalities25
Injuries1
Survivors1

Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 was a scheduled passenger flight on December 1, 1959, between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio with stops in Pennsylvania at Harrisburg, Williamsport, Bradford, and Erie.

Contents

The Martin 2-0-2 operating the flight departed Harrisburg with 26 passengers and crew on board and crashed while maneuvering to land at Williamsport Regional Airport in poor weather. A passenger was the sole survivor. Of the 26 passengers and crew many came from Pennsylvania or other Mid-Atlantic states, however there were two foreign nationals on board: one from France and the other from Lithuania.

The crash was the first fatal accident in the history of Allegheny Airlines and was the deadliest until the 1969 crash of Allegheny Airlines Flight 853. Also the crash was the largest aviation incident in county history, and was the only deadly incident involving Williamsport Regional Airport until the Merion air disaster in 1991.

Background

Flight 371 was scheduled from Philadelphia to Cleveland with stops at Harrisburg, Williamsport, Bradford, and Erie. Flight 371 departed Philadelphia at 08:15 and proceeded under visual flight rules to Harrisburg where it landed at 08:51 without incident. Flight 371 departed Harrisburg at 09:06 with 22 revenue passengers, 4 crew members and 598 pounds of baggage, mail, and cargo.[ citation needed ]

Crash

Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 map.jpg

On Tuesday, 1 December 1959 at 09:06 EST (14:06 UTC) Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 departed Harrisburg-York State Airport with 22 revenue passengers, one additional crew member, and 598 pounds of cargo. The gross weight at time of takeoff was 36,429 pounds, which was 2,081 pounds below Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW).

At 09:23 EST Flight 371 reported to Williamsport radio that it was making 360-degree turns five minutes south of the Williamsport low frequency range at an altitude of 3,500 feet, VFR, and requested an instrument clearance to the Williamsport Regional Airport. Williamsport responded by giving 371 airport weather conditions from 09:17 EST. At 09:27 EST 371 was cleared direct to airport from its present position and was to maintain 4,000 feet. At 09:33 EST 371 was cleared for an approach to the Williamsport Airport and to report when on the ground.

At approximately 09:45 EST 371 was observed over the airport, too high however to effect a landing. After this initial approach to the field, 371 flew over the field and made a right turn for a circling approach to runway 27. As this circle was apparently completed, the aircraft was observed to roll out of its right turn and into a left turn and proceed in level flight, on a southerly direction, disappearing into snow showers and clouds. This was observed by an airport employee and the captain of a Capital Airlines Douglas DC-3 holding short of runway 27 awaiting Flight 371's arrival. At about 09:47 EST airport workers heard 371 crash into Bald Eagle Mountain.

Rescue

Local doctor Wilfred W. Wilcox lowered to crash site by U.S. Air Force helicopter Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 (2001888080).jpg
Local doctor Wilfred W. Wilcox lowered to crash site by U.S. Air Force helicopter

Due to the terrain it was hard for authorities from several local fire departments that responded to reach the site; thus, it took would-be rescuers half an hour to reach the crashed aircraft. The site was so hard to get to that a local doctor, Wilfred W. Wilcox, had to be air lifted into the crash scene via a United States Air Force Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw helicopter and lowered into the site (as seen to the left).

The crash site was very steep, at some locations the grade was near 30 degrees, making movement around the crash site painstakingly slow. Once authorities reached the site at approximately 10:25 a.m. lone survivor Louis Matarazzo was found and given first aid. By noon, the crash site was deemed secure by fire and police officials. By late afternoon all bodies were taken from the crash site.

Passengers and crew

Passengers

People on board by state or nation of residence [1] :27
State/NationNumber
California1
France1
Lithuania1
New York1
North Carolina1
Ohio3
Pennsylvania16
South Carolina1
Virginia1
Sole survivor

Twenty-five people on board were killed with a manager of a Philadelphia sportswear company who was on a business trip, the only survivor. Two other passengers initially survived but died before they could be transported. [2] [3] [4]

Crew members

There were 4 crew members on board, 3 pilots and a flight attendant. Captain Thomas Ronald Goldsmith had over 12,000 hours and worked for Allegheny for nine years. Co-pilots George Matthew Bowers was occupying the right hand seat and Donald Winston Tygert was seated in the jump seat. The lone steward was 28 year-old William Thompson Conger, Jr.

Investigation

Public hearing pertaining to the crash being held at the Genetti Hotel in January 1960 Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 public hearing 2.jpg
Public hearing pertaining to the crash being held at the Genetti Hotel in January 1960

Aviation crash investigators were called immediately following the crash and arrived on the crash site the following day. The Civil Aeronautics Board opened an investigation on December 2, 1959. Possible causes for the crash released in a pre-investigation interview were that of pilot error, inclement weather conditions, cockpit instrumental or mechanical failure.

On November 8, 1960 the board released its findings saying: "The Board believes that this accident was caused by the captain's failure to execute a timely abandoned approach. The probable accidental caging of the fluxgate compass, which would have resulted in an erroneous heading indication, is considered to be a likely contributing factor."

As a result of the crash from 1961 onward the Federal Aviation Administration required all commercial aircraft to adopt suitable guards on all aircraft that have fluxgate compass caging switches located in a position which would permit inadvertent actuation. [5]

Legacy

Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 Memorial Plaque Flight 371 Crash Site Memorial.jpg
Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 Memorial Plaque

In May 2014, a Williamsport-area resident, Shane Collins, and his cousin, Mark Avery, re-located the Flight 371 crash site on Bald Eagle Mountain using GPS. [6] Robin Van Auken, an archaeology instructor at Lycoming College and a board member of the Northcentral Chapter 8 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, led efforts resulting in the state Historical and Museum Commission designating the crash site (about the size of a football field) as an official archaeological site. Recovery of artifacts would be difficult as much of the site is on a 67-degree slope. [6]

In October 2016 a memorial plaque was installed at the crash site. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation accidents and incidents</span> Aviation occurrence involving serious injury, death, or destruction of aircraft

An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight until all such persons have disembarked, and in which (a) a person is fatally or seriously injured, (b) the aircraft sustains significant damage or structural failure, or (c) the aircraft goes missing or becomes completely inaccessible. Annex 13 defines an aviation incident as an occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont Airlines</span> American regional airline, operating since 1962, using the current name since 1993

Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group and it is paid by fellow group member American Airlines to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on American Eagle flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by American Airlines. Piedmont also provides ground handling and customer service for airports in the northeastern and western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny Airlines</span> Defunct airline of the United States (1952—1979)

Allegheny Airlines was a regional airline that operated out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1952 to 1979 with routes primarily located in the eastern U.S. It was the forerunner of USAir that was subsequently renamed US Airways, which itself merged with American Airlines. Its headquarters were at Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Airlines Flight 255</span> 1987 plane crash of an MD-82 in Detroit, Michigan

On August 16, 1987 a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 255, crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, about 8:46 pm EDT, resulting in the deaths of all six crew members and 148 of the 149 passengers, along with two people on the ground. The sole survivor was a 4-year-old girl who sustained serious injuries. It was the second-deadliest aviation accident at the time in the United States. It is also the deadliest aviation accident to have a sole survivor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williamsport Regional Airport</span> Commercial airport in Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Williamsport Regional Airport serves Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding area with a population of roughly 200,000. The airport processes approximately 40,000 passengers annually and has served north central Pennsylvania since 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Icelandic Airlines Flight 001</span> 1978 aviation accident in Sri Lanka

Loftleiðir Icelandic Airlines Flight 001, a charter flight, was a Douglas DC-8 that crashed on 15 November 1978, on approach to the international airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The crash killed 8 of the 13 Icelandic crew members, 5 reserve crew members, and 170 Muslim pilgrims from South Borneo out of a total of 262 passengers and crew. The official report by Sri Lankan authorities determined the probable cause of the crash to be failure of the crew to conform to approach procedures; however, American and Icelandic authorities claimed faulty equipment at the airport and air traffic control error as the reasons for the crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohawk Airlines Flight 411</span> 1969 aviation accident

Mohawk Airlines Flight 411, a Fairchild FH-227B twin-engine turboprop, registered N7811M, was a scheduled domestic passenger service operated by Mohawk Airlines, between Albany and Glens Falls, New York. On November 19, 1969, it crashed into Pilot Knob Mountain, killing all 14 passengers and crew on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 British International Helicopters Chinook crash</span> 1986 aviation disaster in the Shetland Islands

On 6 November 1986, a Boeing-Vertol Model 234LR Chinook helicopter returning workers from the Brent oilfield crashed on approach to land at Sumburgh Airport in the Shetland Islands. At 2.5 mi (4.0 km) from the runway the helicopter had a catastrophic forward transmission failure which caused the tandem rotor blades to collide. The helicopter crashed into the sea and sank. Forty-three passengers and two crew members were killed in the crash; one passenger and one crew member survived with injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny Airlines Flight 485</span> 1971 aviation accident in Connecticut, United States

Allegheny Airlines Flight 485 was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight between Washington, D.C. and Newport News, Virginia, United States, with three stop-overs, two in Connecticut and a third in Pennsylvania. On June 7, 1971, the Allegheny Airlines Convair CV-580 operating the flight crashed on approach to Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, New Haven County, Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continental Charters Flight 44-2</span> 1951 aviation accident

Continental Charters Flight 44-2, a domestic non scheduled passenger flight from Miami, Florida to Buffalo, New York, crashed on December 29, 1951 near Napoli, New York. The twin engine C-46 Commando, registration N3944C, crashed approximately 10:25 pm in adverse weather conditions. Of the four crew and 36 passengers on board, three crew members and 23 passengers perished. The flight crew's poor judgment in attempting a flight by visual reference during instrument weather conditions was the cause of the accident.

In aeronautics, loss of control (LOC) is the unintended departure of an aircraft from controlled flight, and is a significant factor in several aviation accidents worldwide. In 2015 was the leading cause of general aviation accidents. Loss of control may be the result of mechanical failure, external disturbances, aircraft upset conditions, or inappropriate crew actions or responses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny Airlines Flight 736</span> 1968 aviation accident

Allegheny Airlines Flight 736 was a regularly scheduled flight that crashed while attempting to land at Bradford Regional Airport in Bradford, Pennsylvania on December 24, 1968. Twenty of the 47 occupants on board were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Airlines Flight 514</span> 1959 aviation accident

American Airlines Flight 514 was a training flight from Idlewild International Airport, to the Grumman Aircraft Corp. airfield. On the afternoon of August 15, 1959, the Boeing 707 operating the flight crashed near the Calverton airport, killing all five crew members aboard. This was the first accident to involve a Boeing 707, which had only gone into service in October of the previous year, and the first of three accidents involving American's 707s in the New York area within three years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 East Coast Aviation Services British Aerospace Jetstream crash</span>

On 21 May 2000, a British Aerospace BAe-3101 Jetstream 3101 operated by East Coast Aviation Services crashed into mountainous terrain in Bear Creek Township, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The plane was carrying 17 professional gamblers returning home from Caesar's Palace Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, along with 2 crew members. It was chartered by Caesar's Palace. All 19 passengers and crews on board were killed on impact. This accident, alongside the accident of Aerocaribe Flight 7831 were the accidents with the most number of fatalities involving the Jetstream 3101 airliner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cubana de Aviación Flight 972</span> Aircraft crash in Cuba, May 2018

Cubana de Aviación Flight 972 was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Mexican charter airline Global Air on behalf of Cubana de Aviación, from José Martí International Airport, Havana, Cuba, to Frank País Airport in Holguín, Cuba. On 18 May 2018, the 39-year-old Boeing 737-201 Adv. operating the route crashed shortly after takeoff, near Santiago de las Vegas, 19 kilometres from Havana city centre. Of those on board, 112 died and one passenger survived with critical injuries. There were initially four survivors, but three of them later died at a local hospital. Most of the passengers on board were Cuban nationals, although the crew was entirely Mexican.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Caribbean Airways Flight 9955</span> 2005 aviation accident

West Caribbean Airways Flight 9955 was a scheduled flight between Isla de Providencia and San Andres Island, Colombia that crashed on 25 March 2005, killing 9 of the 14 passengers and crew on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allegheny Airlines Flight 604</span> 1965 aviation accident

Allegheny Airlines Flight 604 was a regularly scheduled daily flight from Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey via DuBois, Philipsburg, Williamsport and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Forty occupants were on board when during the Williamsport to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton leg a right engine failure and subsequent failure to follow engine out procedures by the flight crew caused the aircraft to crash northeast of the Williamsport Regional Airport.

References

  1. "Passengers and crew". alleghenyflight371.com. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  2. "Montoursville, PA Airliner Hits Mountain In Snowstorm, Dec 1959". GenDisasters.com. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  3. "Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 (N174A)". Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  4. "Plane Passenger Lived Where 25 Others Died". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. December 3, 1959. p. 4. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  5. Aircraft Accident Report: Allegheny Airlines Flight 371  . 1960 via Wikisource.
  6. 1 2 Beauge, John (January 5, 2019). "Site of deadly Lycoming County plane crash could be memorialized 55 years later". Penn Live. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  7. Beauge, John (January 5, 2019). "Memorial erected to mark site of 1959 Allegheny Airlines crash". Penn Live. Retrieved January 7, 2022.