Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 - Aftermath and Investigation

Aftermath and Investigation

Fifteen ships, accompanied by eleven helicopters and numerous rescue divers converged on the scene of the crash in hopes of rendering aid to survivors. Two hours after impact, debris began floating up to the surface. By sunrise, seven bodies had been recovered; three more were discovered in the course of the following three days. In locating the wreckage, the United States Navy provided underwater sonar to assist with the operation. Thirteen Coast Guard vessels helped searching the shores of Long Island and provided salvage efforts. Rescue workers and volunteers scoured 40 miles (64 km) of beaches, collecting debris that washed ashore.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) investigated the accident. The DC-7 was not required to be equipped with a flight recorder, which would have automatically recorded the pilots' every control input. Thus the CAB was forced to rely on witness testimony, radio recordings, and a "best guess" based on experience. Nevertheless, the CAB determined that the evasive maneuvers taken by the pilot of Flight 663 in order to avoid the oncoming Pan Am jet caused spatial disorientation. The disorientation, coupled with the extreme maneuver, made it impossible for the pilot to recover from the roll in the few seconds remaining before the DC-7 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. The CAB also determined that Captain Carson had neither the time nor adequate information to assess Flight 663's position relative to Pan Am 212 and, given the illusion of a collision course, he had acted appropriately in initiating evasive maneuvers. The CAB made no recommendations in the final accident report. Although early news reports reported the near miss of Flights 663 and 212, the FAA denied that there was ever any danger of collision.

At that time, the crash of Flight 663 was the 5th worst aviation accident to have occurred in the United States. It was and remains the 3rd deadliest crash of a DC-7 (after Caledonian Airways Flight 153 and Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 293), and is the 25th deadliest single-plane accident to have occurred in the United States.