1961 President Airlines Douglas DC-6 crash

1961 President Airlines Douglas DC-6 crash

N90773, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in August 1961
Accident
Date	10 September 1961 (1961-09-10)
Summary	Possible pilot error due to instrument failure and bad weather, causing a loss of control
Site	River Shannon, Ireland
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-6B
Aircraft name	Theodore Roosevelt
Operator	President Airlines
Registration	N90773
Flight origin	Düsseldorf Airport, Düsseldorf, West Germany
Stopover	Shannon Airport, Shannon, County Clare, Ireland
Last stopover	Gander International Airport, Gander, Newfoundland, Canada
Destination	Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Occupants	83
Passengers	77
Crew	6
Fatalities	83
Survivors	0

The 1961 President Airlines Douglas DC-6 crash occurred on the night of September 10, 1961, when a President Airlines Douglas DC-6B named Theodore Roosevelt ^[1] outbound from Shannon, Ireland crashed into the nearby River Shannon shortly after takeoff, killing all 83 people on board. To date, the crash remains the deadliest one in Irish territory.

Airline

President Airlines was a supplemental air carrier (at the time, a charter/scheduled airline hybrid), that in 1960 bought the airline certificate of California Eastern Airways, a carrier that had mainly operated under contract for the US government. ^[2] The airline went out of business shortly after this accident.

Aircraft and occupants

The aircraft involved was a Douglas DC-6B registered as N90773. It first flew in 1953 and was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines. The aircraft's occupants on the accident flight consisted of 77 passengers and 6 crew members. ^[3]

Accident

The aircraft was on a non-scheduled international passenger flight from Düsseldorf, Germany to Chicago with stopovers in Shannon and Gander, Newfoundland for refueling. Shortly after takeoff from Shannon Airport's runway 24, the pilots were cleared for a right-hand turn, but they instead turned left and kept turning until the aircraft had reached a bank angle of about 90 degrees or more. Unable to recover, the aircraft plummeted into the River Shannon 5,000 ft. from the end of the runway. There were no survivors among the 83 passengers and crew.

Cause

Subsequent investigations indicate that the crash probably resulted from a malfunctioning attitude indicator, a fault in the starboard ailerons, or both. Poor weather conditions and crew fatigue were also cited as possible contributing factors. ^{[3] [4]}

See also

• Air India Flight 855 – another accident in which the attitude indicator failed, causing the pilot to bank too far to the left and lose control.
• Korean Air Flight 8509
• Copa Flight 201
• West Air Sweden Flight 294

References

1. Vogt, Ronny (1997). Irish Crash Airmails. Bray: Irish Airmail Society. p. 281.
2. "California Eastern, Certificate Transfer". Civil Aeronautics Board Reports. 31. Washington, DC: U.S. General Printing Office: 965–970. May–September 1960. hdl: 2027/osu.32437011657679 .
3. "Aircraft accident Douglas DC-6B N90773 Shannon, Ireland". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
4. Gero, David (2009). Aviation Disasters (Fifth ed.). Stroud (UK): The History Press. p. 44. ISBN   9780752450391.

52°40′47″N8°56′35″W / 52.6797°N 8.9430°W / 52.6797; -8.9430