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American Airlines Flight 320
1959 aviation accident / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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American Airlines Flight 320 was a scheduled flight between Chicago Midway Airport and New York City's LaGuardia Airport. On February 3, 1959, the Lockheed L-188 Electra performing the flight crashed into the East River during its descent and approach to LaGuardia Airport, killing 65 of the 73 people on board. Weather conditions in the area were poor, and the aircraft descended through dense clouds and fog. As it approached the runway, it flew lower than the intended path and crashed into the icy river 4,900 feet (1,500 m) short of the runway. American Airlines had been flying the newly-developed Lockheed Electra in commercial service for only about two weeks before the crash, and the accident was the first involving the aircraft type.
![]() The aircraft involved, taken before the accident | |
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | February 3, 1959 |
Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
Site | New York City, US |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Lockheed L-188A Electra |
Aircraft name | Flagship New York |
Operator | American Airlines |
Registration | N6101A |
Flight origin | Midway Airport, Chicago |
Destination | LaGuardia Airport, New York |
Passengers | 68 |
Crew | 5 |
Fatalities | 65 |
Injuries | 8 |
Missing | 0 |
Survivors | 8 |
After the crash, surviving flight crew members said that the aircraft's instruments had indicated normal and appropriate altitudes right up to the moment of impact, but eyewitnesses who saw the aircraft from the ground said that the aircraft seemed to be flying much lower than what was normal for planes approaching the airport. An investigation by the Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that several mistakes by the flight crew were the cause of the crash, and the flight crew's inexperience flying the type of aircraft, and poor weather conditions were contributing factors. The Air Line Pilots Association disputed the conclusion, blaming the accident on faulty instruments in the aircraft and on poor weather conditions, not on any mistakes made by the highly experienced flight crew. The lessons from the accident led to new regulations requiring flight recorders in large passenger aircraft, and to new construction at LaGuardia Airport to extend the runways, improve approach lighting systems, and add an instrument landing system to the runway that was involved.