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On January 21, 1948, an Eastern Airlines Constellation crashed while attempting to land at Logan Airport. Twenty-five
people escaped the aircraft, aided by a
tremendous effort of the Eastern Airlines crew. Fourteen passengers were
injured, with two seriously hurt.
The flight had originated in Miami, and was
turned away by LaGuardia Field in New York due to bad weather. It appears
the aircraft had approach system problems, and an Air Traffic Controller at
LaGuardia had offered to "talk him down" [to relay
ground radar information to
the pilot]. At Boston, the weather was also terrible, with a low 600 foot
ceiling.
The aircraft landed at about 130 mph, and slowed to 100 mph.
Suddenly the plane skidded to the right, crashed, and one of the outboard motors
burst into flames. An alert Eastern Airlines crew assisted passengers in
removing their seatbelts, and in debarking the plane. The Captain directed
the passengers to leap 10 feet into a nearby snow bank, and to move away from
the burning aircraft. The Captain was the last person to jump to safety, and
moments later, the plane exploded and split in half.
Forensic accident investigation was less developed at the time, and
the cause of the accident was likely due to multiple reasons (weather,
mechanical failure, pilot decisions, or icy runway conditions).
The Lockheed Constellation was first introduced in 1946, and was the first
widely used passenger airliner with a pressurized cabin. The
Constellation had initial engine problems, and was purportedly nicknamed "the
world's finest three-engine airliner." A January 22nd 1948 New York Times
article about the Boston accident had noted that the Constellation's propellers
were shut down
on landing, before the actual crash and fire.
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