 An Avianca Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 21 January 1960 |
| Summary | Runway excursion, hard landing |
| Site | |
 | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-1049E Super Constellation |
| Operator | Avianca |
| Call sign | AVIANCA 671 |
| Registration | HK-177 |
| Flight origin | New York-Idlewild Airport |
| 1st stopover | Miami International Airport (unscheduled) |
| 2nd stopover | Sangster International Airport Montego Bay, Jamaica |
| Destination | El Dorado International Airport |
| Occupants | 46 |
| Passengers | 39 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 37 |
| Survivors | 9 |
Avianca Flight 671,registration HK-177, was aLockheed Constellation that crashed and burned on landing atSangster International Airport,Montego Bay,Jamaica, on 21 January 1960. The flight had originated atMiami International Airport, Florida. The aircraft operating the flight was aLockheed L-1049E Super Constellation used by Avianca for its Bogotá-Montego Bay routes. Thirty-seven of the 46 passengers and crew aboard were killed. It was and remains the worstaccident in Jamaican aviation history.
The aircraft itself was aLockheed Constellation owned byAvianca, a company affiliated withPan Am.[1] It had 46 passengers on board and 7 crew.[2] Four passengers, tired of waiting for repairs, left the plane while it disembarked in Miami.[2]
The disaster was the fourth major air crash in a span of four days; aVickers Viscountcrashed into a farm in Charles City County, Virginia on January 18 and killed 50, aSud Aviation Caravelle operated byScandinavian Airlinescrashed on January 19 and killed 42, and aMartin P4M Mercatorcrashed intoMount Karanfil the same day, killing all 16 Navy soldiers.[2]
On landing, the plane made a heavy touchdown, bounced, and landed back on the runway, then skidded down the runway in flames. It came to rest upside down, 580 metres (1,900 ft) from the runway threshold and 60 metres (200 ft) to the left thereof.[citation needed]
Of the 46 occupants, 37 were killed while nine survived.[3] The dead included all 17 American passengers.[3] seven of which were residents ofNew York City.[2] Additionally, a Canadian reverend, five Columbians, and two Italians were killed.[4] Additionally, Manuel Jiménez Díaz, known as "Chicuelo II", a famous Spanish bullfighter, his brother Ricardo,[5][4] Thomas C. Capehart, son of the Indiana senatorHomer E. Capehart, his wife Elizabeth,[2] and John H. Marhoefer, president of the Marhoefer Packing Company, were among the dead.[3]
The nine survivors consisted of four passengers and five members of the crew.[1]
Following the crash, the airport was temporarily closed.[6]
GovernorKenneth Blackburne expressed his "deepest sympathies" for the victims while visiting the crash site, calling it "the terrible disaster to the Columbian aircraft in Montego Bay."[7] Secretary of StateIain Macleod stated that he was "greatly disturbed to hear about the accident and heavy loss of life", whileAlan Hilliard Donald, formerGovernor of the Cayman Islands, offered his condolences.[8]
In the afternoon following the crash, the government of the then-Colony of Jamaica announced that they would begin investigating the cause of the crash, creating a task force headed by the Director of Civil Aviation and Inspector of Accidents,Kenneth Paton-JonesDFC, and contacting the United Kingdom'sMinistry of Transport and Civil Aviation for an expert on plane crashes.[7]
