.jpg) A Super Constellation similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 20, 1956 (1956-06-20) |
| Summary | Loss of control after fire |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-1049E Super Constellation |
| Operator | Linea Aeropostal Venezolana |
| Registration | YV-C-AMS |
| Flight origin | New York-Idlewild International Airport (IDL/KIDL) |
| Destination | Caracas Airport (CCS/SVMI) |
| Passengers | 64 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 74 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Linea Aeropostal Venezolana Flight 253 was a regularly scheduledpassenger flight fromIdlewild International Airport,New York toCaracas International Airport inCaracas, Venezuela. During the 20 June 1956 operation of the flight, approximately one hour and twenty minutes after departure, theflight crew reported trouble with one of the engines and turned back to New York. While dumping fuel in preparation for landing, the airplane, aLockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, caught fire and plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean offAsbury Park, New Jersey. All 74 aboard were killed; at the time, it was the world's deadliest disaster involving a scheduledcommercial flight.[1] However, its death toll would besurpassed only ten days later.
The accident aircraft was aLockheed L-1049 Super Constellation,registration YV-C-AMS, and namedRafael Urdaneta,[2] under the command of Captain Luis F. Plata.[3] The plane departed New York at approximately 11:15 p.m. on June 19. At 12:20 a.m. on June 20, some 250 miles east ofNorfolk, Virginia, Captain Plata reported that the #2propeller— the inboard propeller on the port (left) wing— wasoverspeeding, and radioed his intent to return to Idlewild. Twenty minutes later, the crew declared an emergency, stating that they had been unable tofeather the #2 propeller. AnEastern Airlines flight under the command ofCaptain Charles Fisher, bound from New York to San Juan, diverted to monitor the situation and assist in relaying communications, while aU.S. Coast Guard aircraft piloted by Lieutenant Commander Frederick Hancox was dispatched to escort the stricken airliner back to New York.
By 1:25 a.m., the Super Constellation, with its escorts in tow, was off the coast of New Jersey and beginning its descent into New York. Captain Plata requested and received permission todump fuel, and began doing so at 1:29. Almost immediately, the crews of both escort aircraft observed the streaming fuel catch fire and erupt in a large fireball. The airliner swerved violently to the right, nosed over, and plunged into the sea, exploding on impact. Commander Hancox reported its rate of descent at 4,000 feet per minute, and that it was in a 90-degree bank at the moment of impact. Captain Fisher described the descent of the blazing aircraft as like "a falling star."
The accident occurred 32 miles east ofAsbury Park, New Jersey. The Coast Guard plane circled the flaming wreckage, but could see no signs of life- only aircraft debris, along with pieces of clothing and personal effects. The Navy transportLt. Robert Craig, the first surface ship to arrive, was on scene at 3:43 a.m. and radioed: "Found no survivors. Expect to find none." Crews dispatched from theCraig in lifeboats recovered only fragments of bodies along with sundry debris. By dawn, any wreckage not recovered had sunk in 120 feet of water.
The debris and remains recovered the night of the crash provided no clues as to the origin of the sudden fire; initial speculation was that fuel vapor may have come into contact with hotexhaust gases from one or more engines. Locating the main wreckage proved difficult due to the relatively wide dispersion of the debris- Hancox had observed the airliner shed flaming parts during its descent, and the final impact and explosion were described as violent, strewing debris over a considerable area.U.S. Navy salvage teams dragged grappling lines across the site for several days without success. Finally, a June 30sonar search provided tentative identification of the main wreckage, which the Navy estimated would require "days or weeks" to raise. Minimal progress was made over the ensuing week, largely due to bad weather; On July 6, the Venezuelan government requested that recovery operations be halted.[4]
The investigation spent considerable time analyzing the events of the fuel dump in order to identify the likeliest source of the ignition. Hancox reported that as soon as Captain Plata commenced dumping fuel, Hancox observed sparks and flame in the vicinity of the #3 engine, the inboard engine on thestarboard (right) wing, opposite the engine with the propeller problem. Theinvestigative board concluded that the vibration induced by the runaway #2 propeller had caused internal structural damage to the starboard wing behind the #3 engine, between the fuel tank and fuel dump chute, as this area would have been the symmetrical point of the vibration. The board considered this the most probable cause, but stated that it was unable to determine this with certainty.[5]
Ruth Noel, widow of passenger Marshal L. Noel, subsequently sought damages from both the airline andUnited Aircraft (owners ofHamilton Standard, the manufacturer of the failed propeller). In the course of the litigation, evidence was introduced that within moments of the fuel dump commencing, the faulty #2 propeller broke free of its mountings and slashed into thefuselage. The double seat in the area of the impact was apparently ejected from the aircraft at this time, as it was found some distance from the spot where YV-C-AMS crashed; it had been cut in half from top to bottom by a heavy object. The bodies of its two occupants were among the few recovered from the scene; both had suffered leg amputations. Expert testimony provided two possible scenarios for ignition of the jettisoning fuel:
In May 1959, propeller pitch-lock mechanisms, designed to arrest the pitch of the blades and prevent them from opening further when an overspeed is imminent, became mandatory on U.S.piston-engined transport aircraft.[8][9]
Six months later, another operation of Flight 253 ended in tragedy when itcrashed into a mountain on approach to Caracas. All 25 aboard were killed.[10][11]
40°13′30″N73°42′43″W / 40.225°N 73.712°W /40.225; -73.712