Maryland

While cruising in a blizzard at an altitude of 30,000 feet, the crew encountered severe turbulences and the airplane started an uncontrollable descent. Both pilot were able to eject while three other occupants were killed when the airplane crashed in a snow covered and wooded area located on the Savage Mountain. The aircraft was totally destroyed.
Crew:
Maj Thomas W. McCormick, pilot,
Cpt Parker C. Peedin, copilot,
Maj Robert E. Townley, bomb aimer, †
Maj Robert L. Payne, navigator, †
T/Sgt Melvin F. Wooten, tail gunner. †

Pan American Flight 214, a Boeing 707-121, N709PA, departed Friendship International Airport, Baltimore, Maryland, for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 2024 1 December 8, 1963. The aircraft, with 73 passengers and a crew of eight, was on an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance. Flight 214 reported over the New Castle, Delaware VOR at 2042 and was instructed to hold at 5,000 feet, west of the VOR. At 2058 a "MAYDAY" 2 transmission was heard from the flight. Shortly thereafter, the pilot of another aircraft broadcasted that "Clipper 214 is going down in flames". Flight 214 crashed two miles east of Elkton, Maryland, at 2059. All persons aboard the aircraft were killed instantly. The aircraft was destroyed by explosion, impact, and fire.

Suffered an unclear accident upon landing at Andrews AFB. There were no injuries but the aircraft was written off.

United Air Lines Flight 297, a Vickers-Armstrong Viscount Model 745D, N7430, crashed in a wooded area six miles west-southwest of Ellicott City, Maryland, at approximately 1224 e.s.t., on November 23, 1962. All thirteen Passengers and a crew of four were fatally injured. Flight 297 was en route from Newark, New Jersey to Washington, D. C. The flight was operating at an assigned altitude of' 6,000 feet when it apparently penetrated a flock of Whistling Swans. At least two of these a were struck by the aircraft. One swan collided with the right horizontal stabilizer inflicting superficial damage only. The other bird punctured the left horizontal stabilizer, traveled through the structure, and dented the elevator as it egresses. The weakened structure failed in this area. rendered the aircraft uncontrollable, and resulted in, the aircraft striking the ground in a nose-low inverted attitude.

On approach to Patuxent River NAS, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls. In low visibility, the aircraft was too low and struck the ground before coming to rest in flames few hundred yards short of runway threshold. Five occupants were killed while 14 others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Flight 75 taxied away from the terminal at 1520, 20 minutes late. The last-minute delay occurred when Captain Paddack found an error in the aircraft gross weight computation and questioned the weight for the existing runway restriction. At 1455 the flight radioed for runway temperature. The senior operations agent came aboard and he and the captain rechecked the computations to make sure the weight was correct and below maximum allowable for the runway length, the existing surface wind, and temperature. The problem was satisfied and it was determined that the gross weight was 60,507 pounds, 103 pounds less than the maximum allowable of 60,610 pounds. During taxi Flight 75 was issued an instrument clearance according to an instrument flight rules flight plan filed earlier. At 1529 a no takeoff from runway 22 was observed. Executing the clearance, Flight 75 made numerous radio communications in the New York area and proceeded uneventfully to its assigned cruising altitude. 14,000 feet, and onto the assigned airway Victor 3. Regular position reports were made as the flight progressed. At 1602 Flight 75 contacted the Washington Center. It reported that it was over Westchester on the hour, 1600, at 14,000, estimating Westminster at 1617, with Herndon next. In the same message it advised, ". . . ah, we've got a pretty good string of thunderstorms along that course . . . ah, if we could stay in the clear and stay a little bit south of Westminster, is that O. K. with you?" The center controller replied "Capital 75, that'll be all right and report passing Westminster." The flight acknowledged. At 1610 the flight advised, "Ah, Washington Center, this is Capital 75, we've reduced to one seven zero knots account rough air." This was the last message from the flight on the center recorders and the last which could be determined as having been made. The aircraft entered a near vertical dive, partially disintegrated at an altitude between 3,000 and 7,000 feet and eventually crash in Chase, two miles northeast of Martin Airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all 31 occupants were killed.

On may 20, 1958, about 1129 e. d. t., a Capital Airlines Viscount, N 7410 and a Maryland Air National. Guard T-33, 35966, collided in the air about four miles east-northeast of Brunswick, Maryland. Seven passengers and the crew of four aboard the Viscount were killed. A passenger in the T-33 was killed but the pilot, although severely burned, parachuted safely. Both aircraft were totally destroyed by in-flight collision, ground impact, and the ensuing fire. The collision occurred at an altitude of about 8,000 feet on Victor Airway lilt while the Viscount was descending en route from Pittsburgh to Baltimore-Friendship Airport. It was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan but in visual flight rules weather conditions. The T-33 pilot was on a VFR proficiency flight from Martin Airport, Baltimore, Maryland. Just before the collision the aircraft were observed in the area west of Brunswick flying parallel easterly courses with the T-33 some distance behind and to the left of the Viscount. The T-33 quickly overtook the Viscount and made a gentle right turn, during which it struck the forward left side of the fuselage of the Viscount. Both aircraft were being operated in visual flight rules weather conditions and it was therefore the responsibility of each crew to provide separation from other aircraft by visual reference. The right-of-way rules contained in the Civil Air Regulations clearly set out the pilot's responsibility in the overtaking situation. It is the Board's aim to provide for a positive control system of air-craft separation which will not depend upon the "see and be seen" principle to prevent the occurrence of collision accidents. The Board has been actively engaged for some time in the development of such a program. Its full implementation is several years away and will be dependent on additional technical improvements in equipment and on the expansion of the air traffic control facilities to accommodate the ever increasing amount of traffic. Since the accident the USAF and Capital Airlines, along with other carriers, in an effort to reduce collision hazards, have required, in general, that all aircraft on airways above 10,000 feet be operated in accordance with IFR.

After the crew completed several touch-and-go manoeuvres at Patuxent River NAS, he started a new descent in poor visibility due to foggy conditions. On final, the four engine airplane struck trees and crashed in flames short of runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all nine crew members were killed. It appears the crew descended too low in marginal weather conditions.

Training flight H-3 was scheduled by Capital (Capital Airlines) flight training department for Captain Carl R. Burke, instructor, and two Copilots, Henry A. Podgurski and Robert K. Thomas. This was the second of a series of six flights being made for the purpose of giving Messrs. Podgurski and Thomas flight instruction to prepare them for upgrading from copilot to captain. The flight was dispatched in accordance with visual flight rules to operate in an area northwest, north, and northeast of Washington, D. C. This area was used by Capital as its local practice area for training flights. The aircraft was fully serviced with 820 gallons of fuel. Its gross takeoff weight was less than the max allowable and the center of gravity was within allowable limits. The weather was clear and was not a factor in thin accident. Takeoff was made at 0625. At 0631 the flight advised the company by radio of the trip number, time of takeoff, fuel aboard, and flight duration. There were no other radio contacts with the flight. At approximately 0745, N88835 was observed in the vicinity of Clarksburg, Maryland, by many people who saw it during several tea of flight and in its plunge to the ground.

Went out of control and crashed in unknown circumstances into the Potomac River off Potomac Heights, Maryland. A crew member was rescued while both other occupants were killed.