Commercial Plane Crashes of the 1950s
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1950
January 5 – In the 1950 Sverdlovsk air disaster, a Lisunov Li-2 crashes near Sverdlovsk, Russia, killing all 19 on board, including 11 Soviet Air Force hockey players.
March 12 – An Airflight Avro 689 Tudor V stalls and crashes after the rear cargo hold was overloaded, resulting in a center of gravity exceeding the aft limit. 80 out of the 83 people on board die, at the time the worst air disaster in history, and comes to be known as The Llandow air disaster.
June 24 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501 disappears without a trace over Lake Michigan. All 58 passengers are lost.
August 31 – TWA Flight 903 crashes because of an engine fire, in the desert about 65 miles NNW of Cairo, Egypt. All 55 on board are killed in the worst ever accident involving the Lockheed L-749.
October 31 – A British European Airways Vickers Viking crashes on the runway at London Heathrow Airport in foggy weather. Of the 30 on board, only a flight attendant and a passenger survive.
November 3 – Air India Flight 245, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation, crashes into Mont Blanc in France killing all 40 passengers and 8 crew members. Sixteen years later Air India Flight 101 crashes in almost exactly the same spot.
November 13 – A Curtiss Reid Flying Services-operated C-54 Skymaster crashes 30 miles from Grenoble, France on the Tete de I’Obiou mountain; all 52 passengers and crew die.
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1951
March 27 – A Douglas C-47A-75-DL Dakota 3 cargo aircraft en route to Nutts Corner Airport, Antrim, Northern Ireland, crashes shortly after take-off following the aircraft’s failure to gain height. Two of the three crew and two of the three passengers were killed.
April 25 – Cubana de Aviación Flight 493, a Douglas DC-4 en route from Miami to Havana, collides in mid-air with a United States Navy Beech SNB-1 Kansan off Key West. All 43 aboard both aircraft are killed.
June 22 – Pan Am Flight 151 crashes into a hill near Sanoye in Bong County, Liberia, 54 miles (86 km) from the airport. All 31 passengers and 6 crew members perish.
June 30 – United Airlines Flight 610, a Douglas DC-6, flies into a mountain due to navigational error. 45 passengers and 5 crew members are killed.
August 24 – United Airlines Flight 615 crashes near Decoto (now Union City), California, while on final approach to Oakland, California; all 44 passengers and 6 crew members die.
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1952
January 22 – American Airlines Flight 6780 crashes on approach to Newark into dwellings in Elizabeth, New Jersey, killing 30 and leading to the Doolittle Commission recommendation for laws coordinating urban zoning to keep airport approach paths clear.
April 11 – Pan Am Flight 526A suffers engine failure and is forced to ditch in the Atlantic 11 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. 52 of 69 on board die.
April 28 – Pan Am Flight 202, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, crashes after a propeller failure in a remote area of Brazil on its way from Buenos Aires, Argentina to New York City via Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All 50 on board are killed in the worst ever accident involving the Boeing 377.
June 28 – American Airlines Flight 910, a Douglas DC-6 carrying 55 passengers and 5 crew collides with a Temco Swift private plane on final approach to Dallas Love Field, killing both occupants of the Swift; the DC-6 lands safely with no injuries to the passengers or crew.
December 6 – A Cubana de Aviación Douglas DC-4 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off Bermuda after failing to gain altitude after takeoff, killing 37 of 41 on board.
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1953
September 16 – American Airlines Flight 723 crashes while on approach to Albany Airport, all 28 passengers and crew die.
October 29 – British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Flight 304 crashes into King’s Mountain, southeast of Half Moon Bay, California, on its approach to the San Francisco International Airport, killing all 11 passengers, including American pianist William Kapell, and a crew of eight.
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1954
January 10 – BOAC Flight 781, a de Havilland Comet flying from Rome to London on the last leg of a flight from Singapore, disintegrates in mid-air, when metal fatigue from repeated pressurization cycles compromises the fuselage, killing the 29 passengers and six crew.
April 8 – South African Airways Flight 201 flying from Rome to Cairo bound for Johannesburg, disintegrates in mid-air, killing all 14 passengers and seven crew. The cause is metal fatigue at stress risers at the corners of the square windows in the aluminum skin. Subsequently, all pressurized aircraft windows are constructed with wide radius corners.
April 8 – A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collided with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 36 people on the aircraft and 1 person on the ground.
September 5 – KLM Flight 633 ditches after takeoff from Shannon Airport in Ireland, killing 28 of 56 on board.
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1955
January 12 – A Trans World Airlines-operated Martin 2-0-2 collides with a privately owned Douglas DC-3 over Cincinnati, Ohio, killing all 15 on board both aircraft.
February 19 – TWA Flight 260 crashes into the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico, killing all 16 on board.
March 26 – Pan American World Airways Flight 845/26 ditches into the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast, killing four.
April 11 – An Air India aircraft named Kashmir Princess explodes under suspicious circumstances. 16 people are killed and three survive.
July 27 – El Al Flight 402 inadvertently strays over Bulgarian territory on its way from Vienna to Tel Aviv, and is shot down by two Bulgarian fighter aircraft, killing all 58 on board.
October 6 – United Airlines Flight 409, a Douglas DC-4, crashes near Centennial, Wyoming, killing all 66 on board.
November 1 – United Airlines Flight 629, a Douglas DC-6B, is bombed by Jack Gilbert Graham over Denver, Colorado; all 44 on board are killed.
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1956
April 1 – Trans World Airlines Flight 400 crashes on takeoff at Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, killing 22 of the 36 on board. There are 14 survivors.
April 2 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2, a Boeing Stratocruiser, ditches into Puget Sound after takeoff from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after the cowl flaps are incorrectly set for takeoff. Four passengers and a flight attendant die, liekly of hypothermia, while waiting for rescue; 33 survive.
June 30 – United Airlines Flight 718, a DC-7, collides with TWA Flight 2, a Lockheed Constellation, over the Grand Canyon, killing all 128 aboard both planes. The Federal Aviation Administration is created in the aftermath and establishes new rules for passenger carriers, among them the requirement to operate under IFR, even in good weather.
July 9 – A Trans-Canada Air Lines Vickers Viscount sheds a propeller blade over Flat Rock, Michigan. The blade penetrates the passenger cabin, killing one of 35 aboard. This is the first known case of a turboprop shedding a blade in passenger service.
November 7 – A Braathens SAFE de Havilland Heron crashes into Hummelfjell mountain near Tolga, Norway, killing the pilot and a passenger.
December 9 – Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810, a Canadair North Star, crashes near Hope, British Columbia, Canada, killing all 62 people on board; the wreckage is located several months later.
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1957
February 1 – Northeast Airlines Flight 823, a Douglas DC-6, crashes during a snowstorm shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport; twenty of the 101 occupants die.
March 14 – British European Airways Flight 411, a Vickers Viscount, crashes while on approach to Manchester Airport, killing all 20 on board and two people on the ground.
November 8 – Pan Am Flight 7, a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, vanishes between San Francisco and Honolulu; small pieces of wreckage and human remains are found almost a week later by the United States Navy; all 44 on board are believed to have been killed.
November 15 – An Aquila Airways Short Solent flying boat crashes near Chessell, Isle of Wight, UK, killing 45 out of the 58 on board.
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1958
February 6 – In the Munich air disaster, a British European Airways Airspeed Ambassador crashes during takeoff from Munich-Riem airport, killing 23 of 44, including eight Manchester United football players.
February 27 – In the Winter Hill air disaster, a Silver City Bristol 170 Freighter traveling from the Isle of Man to Manchester Ringway Airport crashes into Winter Hill, Rivington Moor, Lancashire, killing 35 people and injuring seven others.
April 6 – Capital Airlines Flight 67 crashes at Tri-City Airport (now MBS International Airport) near Freeland, Michigan, killing all 47 passengers and crew; an undiscovered ice buildup on the wing and windy conditions are possible causes.
April 21 – United Airlines Flight 736 collides near Las Vegas, Nevada, with a US Air Force F-100 Super Sabre fighter on a training mission. All 47 aboard the airliner and both F-100 crew members are killed.
August 14 – KLM Flight 607-E en route from Amsterdam to New York, crashes into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after takeoff from Shannon Airport in Ireland, killing all 99 passengers and crew, including six members of the Egyptian fencing team.
October 22 – British European Airways Flight 142 collided with an Italian Air Force North American F-86 Sabre over Italy, all 31 on board die.
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1959
February 3 – American Airlines Flight 320, a Lockheed L-188 Super Electra, crashes into the East River, New York City, as a result of pilot error; sixty-five passengers and crew are killed.
February 17 – A Turkish Airlines Vickers Viscount 793 charter flight carrying the Turkish prime minister and other government officials crashes in heavy fog during its final approach into London Gatwick Airport; five of the eight crew and nine of the sixteen passengers die in the accident. Prime Minister Adnan Menderes is among the ten survivors.
May 12 – Capital Airlines Flight 75, a Vickers Viscount 745D flying from New York City to Atlanta, breaks up in flight over Chase, Maryland, due to loss of control in severe turbulence. All 31 people on board are killed.
September 29 – Braniff International Airways Flight 542, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, breaks up in mid-air and crashes 4 miles from Buffalo, Texas. All 34 on board perish.
October 30 – Piedmont Airlines Flight 349, a Douglas DC-3, crashes on Bucks Elbow Mountain near Charlottesville, Virginia, killing the crew of three and 23 of 24 passengers. The sole survivor is seriously injured. The cause is a navigational error during an ILS approach.
November 16 – National Airlines Flight 967 crashes into the Gulf of Mexico while on a flight from Tampa, Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana, in a possible case of sabotage. All 40 on board perish.
Annalise Kaylor is a freelance writer, editor, and consultant specializing in search engine optimized content for the web. As a writer, her work has appeared across the United States in print ads for Whirlpool, Maytag, Home Depot, and Lowe's, among others. As a consultant, she has worked primarily in the education sector, helping universities increase their web visibility and construct and implement social media strategy. Annalise is an avid reader, knitter, organic gardener and baker, as well as the author of the popular baking blog, Knead To Be Loaved. Annalise enjoys fly fishing, camping, and hiking.
Related Research For Teachers, Students, and Kids
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1922 April 7: A Daimler Hire Ltd.-operated de Havilland DH.18A, G-EAWO,...
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1960 January 6 – National Airlines Flight 2511, a DC-6B bound from New ...
Commercial Plane Crashes in 1970 February 15 – Contaminated fuel causes dual engine failure shortly...
In 2010, the United States Transportation Security Administration (TSA) deployed a new technology i...
What is Veterans Day? Veterans Day is a national, federal holiday that is used to honor all veteran...
Follow and Socialize The Free Resource
