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American Airlines Flight 320

An American Airlines Lockheed L-188A Electra, similar to the aircraft involved in the incident
Accident
Date	February 3, 1959
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain (water)
Site	New York City, New York
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Lockheed L-188A Electra
Operator	American Airlines
Registration	N6101A
Passengers	68
Crew	5
Fatalities	65
Injuries	8
Survivors	8

American Airlines Flight 320, registration N6101A, was a Lockheed L-188A Electra en route from Chicago Midway International Airport to New York City's LaGuardia Airport on February 3, 1959. It crashed into the East River on approach; 65 of the 73 on board died.^[1] It was the first crash for the Electra, which had been introduced only recently by American Airlines. It would not be the last, however, as a series of fatal accidents over the next year would cause the flying public to lose confidence in the aircraft, particularly after two mysterious in-flight wing failures which resulted in speed restrictions and a near grounding by the FAA.^[2]

The Civil Aeronautics Board (the predecessor of the NTSB) was the government agency charged with investigating airliner accidents, during that era. The CAB PROBABLE CAUSE statement:^[3]

The Board determines the probable cause of this accident was premature descent below landing minimums which was the result of preoccupation of the crew on particular aspects of the aircraft and its environment to the neglect of essential flight instrument references for attitude and height above the approach surface.

Contributing factors were.

1. Limited experience of the crew with the aircraft type;

2. Faulty approach technique in which the autopilot was used in the heading mode to or almost to the surface;

3. Erroneous setting of the captain's altimeter;

4. Marginal weather in the approach area;

5. Possible misinterpretation of altimeter and rate of descent indicator; and

6. Sensory illusion with respect to height and attitude resulting from visual reference to the few lights existing in the approach area.^[4]

Many references to Flight 320 claim that there were 72 persons on board and that there were only seven survivors. This error may be because one victim was a lap infant and did not have its own seat or ticket.

Robert Emerson was one of the victims of the crash. Dr. Emerson was a noted botanist, who discovered that plants have two distinct photosynthetic reaction centres.^[5]

Herbert Greenwald was one of the victims of the crash. Mr. Greenwald was a Chicago real estate developer who developed several landmark buildings using Mies Van Der Rohe as the architect.^[6]

The flight number is still used today on its Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)-Norfolk, Virginia (ORF) route.

The accident took place on the same day that a plane carrying Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all three singers. (See "The Day the Music Died.")

See also[edit]

• Aviation safety


• List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft

References[edit]

• 
  Air Disaster, Vol. 4: The Propeller Era, by Macarthur Job, Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd. (Australia), 2001
  ISBN 1-875671-48-X
  

External links[edit]

• 
  Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
  


• 
  Civil Aeronautics Board Aircraft Accident Report on Flight 320 from the Department of Transport's Special Collections

Coordinates: 40°47′38″N 73°51′43″W / 40.794°N 73.862°W / 40.794; -73.862