American Airlines Accidents and Incidents - 1950s

1950s

• August 22, 1950: American Airlines Flight 14, a Douglas DC-6 flying from Los Angeles-Chicago suffered decompression after a propeller blade from the #3 engine failed and punctured the fuselage near Eagle, Colorado. The plane made a safe landing in Denver. One passenger with a heart condition died. The cause of the accident was fatigue in the propeller.
• January 22, 1952: American Airlines Flight 6780, a Convair 240 was on routing Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse-Newark when it crashed at the intersection of Williamson and South Streets in the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, approximately 3.4 miles (5.5 km) SE of Newark while descending for a landing. The aircraft was noticed to be drifting off course and descending prior to the crash. All 27 occupants on board (20 passengers and 3 crew) plus 7 civilians on the ground, were killed. Among the passengers was Robert P. Patterson, former Undersecretary of War under Franklin Delano Roosevelt and former War Secretary under Harry S. Truman. The cause of the crash was never determined.
• June 28, 1952: A Temco Swift private aircraft flew into the No. 4 propeller of American Airlines Flight 910, a Douglas DC-6 carrying 55 passengers and 5 crew, on final approach to Dallas Love Field from San Francisco, California. The Swift crashed, killing both occupants, but the DC-6 was almost completely unscathed and landed safely. The crash was attributed to the failure of the Swift's pilot to exercise proper caution during his landing approach.
• September 16, 1953: American Airlines Flight 723, a Convair 240, was flying Boston-Springfield-Albany-Syracuse-Rochester-Buffalo-Detroit-Chicago when it crashed and caught fire after flying into a series of radio towers in a fog while descending for landing. All 28 occupants on board (25 passengers and 3 crew) were killed.
• January 21, 1954: American Airlines Flight 767, Convair CV-240 crashed quickly after taking off from Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The left engine failed causing the pilot to attempt a return to the airport. A successful wheels up landing was made southeast of the airport 200 yards south of 2478 George Urban Blvd. in Depew, New York. No deaths and few injuries were reported.
• July 6, 1954: American Airlines Flight 163, a Douglas DC-6 was flying Cleveland-St. Louis when a 15-year-old passenger burst into the cockpit with an empty pistol. The captain produced his own gun and shot the perpetrator dead.
• March 20, 1955: American Airlines Flight 711, a Convair 240, was flying Chicago-Springfield, MO when it crashed a quarter mile short of the airport while landing. Of the 35 occupants on board (32 passengers and 3 crew), 13 were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be spatial disorientation and inattention to instruments.
• August 4, 1955: American Airlines Flight 476, a Convair 240, flying Tulsa-Springfield, Missouri-St. Louis-New York City crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri after the No.2 engine caught fire. While descending the right wing failed due to the fire and the aircraft crashed in a forest. All 30 occupants on board (27 passengers and three crew) were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the "installation of an unairworthy cylinder" on the engine.
• January 6, 1957: American Airlines Flight 327, a Convair 240, flying Providence, Rhode Island-Joplin-Tulsa when it struck trees about 4 miles (6.4 km) N of the approach end to Rwy 17 at Tulsa International Airport, slid along the ground to the top of an upslope, and then jumped a ditch and came to rest 540 feet (160 m) from the approach end. Of the 10 occupants on board (7 passengers and 3 crew) one passenger was killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the lack of alertness by the captain in allowing the first officer to continue the descent to too low an altitude.
• February 3, 1959: American Airlines Flight 320, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed on approach to LaGuardia on February 3, 1959 due to pilot error.
• August 15, 1959: American Airlines Flight 514 (Flagship Connecticut), a Boeing 707 was on a training flight ending at Grumman Peconic River Airport, Calverton, NY now known as Calverton Executive Airpark, when during descent the aircraft began a barrel roll to the right, yawed and crashed in flames after the pilots shut off the engines to simulate a flameout. All 5 crew on board were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the failure of the crew to recognize the yaw.