Eastern Air Lines Flight 663
Encyclopedia
Eastern Air Lines Flight 663 was a scheduled, domestic passenger flight from Boston
, Massachusetts
, to Atlanta, Georgia
, that crashed near Jones Beach State Park
, New York
, on February 8, 1965. Flight 663 had scheduled stopovers at John F. Kennedy International Airport
(JFK), New York
, Richmond, Virginia
, Charlotte, North Carolina
, and Greenville, South Carolina
, and crashed just after taking off from JFK Airport. All 79 passengers and five crew aboard the Eastern Airlines DC-7
perished.
National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) investigations determined that evasive maneuvers undertaken by Flight 663 to avoid an oncoming Pan Am Boeing 707 caused the pilot to suffer spatial disorientation
and lose control of the aircraft. The accident remains the third-worst accident involving a Douglas
DC-7.
DC-7 serving Flight 663 made its first flight in 1958, and had subsequently accumulated a total of 18,500 hours of flight time. It was piloted by Captain
Frederick R. Carson, 41, who had been employed by Eastern Air Lines for 19 years and who had accumulated 12,607 hours of flight time. His copilot, First Officer Edward R. Dunn, 41, a nine-year veteran of Eastern Airlines, had 8,550 hours of flight time. The flight engineer
was Douglas C. Mitchell, 24, with two years' employment and 407 pilot hours and 141 hours flight engineer time. All had passed proficiency checks with the DC-7B aircraft. The two flight attendants aboard were Linda Lord and Judith Durkin.
(Navigate: Historical Aircraft Accident Reports (1934-1965) → 1965 → Eastern Air Lines.)
The flight from Logan International Airport
in Boston, Massachusetts, to John F. Kennedy International Airport
, New York
, proceeded normally. Flight 663 departed JFK at 6:20 p.m. EDT on an Instrument Flight Rules
(IFR) clearance to Byrd Field (now Richmond International Airport
), Richmond, Virginia
. Take-off proceeded normally, and
the airport control-tower prepared to hand over control to the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center
(ARTCC) on Long Island
, noting that Flight 663 was executing a "Dutch Seven Departure," a routine takeoff procedure that required a series of turns over the Atlantic Ocean
in order to avoid flying over New York City. The New York ARTCC responded with the information that Pan American Airways Flight 212, a Boeing 707
, was descending to 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) in the same airspace.
Though the control tower responded that Flight 663 was at a higher altitude than Flight 212, it was, in fact, lower. Subsequently, the control tower radioed the Pan Am flight that there was traffic in his airspace at "11 o'clock," six miles away travelling southeast of Pam Am's position, climbing above 3000 feet (914.4 m). Pan Am 212 acknowledged. ATC then radioed Flight 663 a similar advisory: at "2 o'clock," five miles away travelling, below Flight 663's position. In reality, the traffic, Pan Am 212, was above Flight 663, descending from 5000 feet (1,524 m). Captain Carson acknowledged that he saw the traffic, that he was beginning to turn into the Dutch Seven Departure, and signed off, saying, "Good night."
Flight 663's radioed "good night" at 6:25 p.m. was the last transmission received from the doomed flight.
right and initiated a descent in an attempt to avoid collision. In response, Eastern 663 initiated an extreme right turn in order to pass safely. The captain of Pan Am 212 later estimated that the two aircraft had passed between 200 foot of each other, while the first officer estimated that the distance was only 200 foot.
Flight 663 was unable to recover from its unusually steep bank and plunged into the icy water of the Atlantic Ocean, where it exploded into bright orange flames. The Pan American 707 was the first to relay news of the crash as it was receiving permission to land. Air Canada
Flight 627, which had departed a few minutes prior to Flight 663, also radioed news of an explosion in the water.
After the initial explosion, the wrecked aircraft sank to the bottom of 75 feet (22.9 m) of water. Numerous air crews, including Pan Am 212, Air Canada 627, and Braniff Airlines Flight 5, radioed ATC controllers in the area with news of an explosion. The aircraft broke up upon impact, and was destroyed. All 5 crewmembers and 79 passengers died on impact.
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 (64.4 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 on US soil.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, to Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, that crashed near Jones Beach State Park
Jones Beach State Park
Jones Beach State Park is a state park of the U.S. state of New York. It is located in southern Nassau County, in the hamlet of Wantagh, on Jones Beach Island, a barrier island linked to Long Island by the Meadowbrook State Parkway, Wantagh State Parkway and Ocean Parkway .The park is renowned for...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, on February 8, 1965. Flight 663 had scheduled stopovers at John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
(JFK), New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, and Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, and crashed just after taking off from JFK Airport. All 79 passengers and five crew aboard the Eastern Airlines DC-7
Douglas DC-7
The Douglas DC-7 is an American transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1953 to 1958. It was the last major piston engine powered transport made by Douglas, coming just a few years before the advent of jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8.-Design and...
perished.
National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB) and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) investigations determined that evasive maneuvers undertaken by Flight 663 to avoid an oncoming Pan Am Boeing 707 caused the pilot to suffer spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation is the inability to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude or airspeed, in relation to the Earth or point of reference. Spatial disorientation is a condition in which an aircraft pilot's perception of direction does not agree with reality...
and lose control of the aircraft. The accident remains the third-worst accident involving a Douglas
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
DC-7.
Flight history
The DouglasDouglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
DC-7 serving Flight 663 made its first flight in 1958, and had subsequently accumulated a total of 18,500 hours of flight time. It was piloted by Captain
Pilot in command
The pilot in command of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the "captain" in a typical two- or three-pilot flight crew, or "pilot" if there is only one certified and qualified pilot at the controls of...
Frederick R. Carson, 41, who had been employed by Eastern Air Lines for 19 years and who had accumulated 12,607 hours of flight time. His copilot, First Officer Edward R. Dunn, 41, a nine-year veteran of Eastern Airlines, had 8,550 hours of flight time. The flight engineer
Flight engineer
Flight engineers work in three types of aircraft: fixed-wing , rotary wing , and space flight .As airplanes became even larger requiring more engines and complex systems to operate, the workload on the two pilots became excessive during certain critical parts of the flight regime, notably takeoffs...
was Douglas C. Mitchell, 24, with two years' employment and 407 pilot hours and 141 hours flight engineer time. All had passed proficiency checks with the DC-7B aircraft. The two flight attendants aboard were Linda Lord and Judith Durkin.
(Navigate: Historical Aircraft Accident Reports (1934-1965) → 1965 → Eastern Air Lines.)
The flight from Logan International Airport
Logan International Airport
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport is located in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts . It covers , has six runways, and employs an estimated 16,000 people. It is the 19th busiest airport in the United States.Boston serves as a focus city for JetBlue Airways...
in Boston, Massachusetts, to John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, proceeded normally. Flight 663 departed JFK at 6:20 p.m. EDT on an Instrument Flight Rules
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
(IFR) clearance to Byrd Field (now Richmond International Airport
Richmond International Airport
- Accidents and incidents :*In 1996, Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 from Trenton experienced loss of rudder control while on approach to Richmond, however rudder control was regained shortly after and the aircraft landed normally. There was one minor injury....
), Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. Take-off proceeded normally, and
the airport control-tower prepared to hand over control to the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center
New York Air Route Traffic Control Center
New York Air Route Traffic Control Center is one of 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers in the United States.-Area of responsibility:...
(ARTCC) on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, noting that Flight 663 was executing a "Dutch Seven Departure," a routine takeoff procedure that required a series of turns over the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
in order to avoid flying over New York City. The New York ARTCC responded with the information that Pan American Airways Flight 212, a Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
, was descending to 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) in the same airspace.
| Sender | Message | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| New York Air Route Traffic Control Center | All right, at three miles north of Dutch is Clipper 212 descending to 4,000. | |
| How does he shape up with that boy coming in . . . the guy at his 1 o'clock position? | ||
| JFK Control Tower | We're above him. | |
Though the control tower responded that Flight 663 was at a higher altitude than Flight 212, it was, in fact, lower. Subsequently, the control tower radioed the Pan Am flight that there was traffic in his airspace at "11 o'clock," six miles away travelling southeast of Pam Am's position, climbing above 3000 feet (914.4 m). Pan Am 212 acknowledged. ATC then radioed Flight 663 a similar advisory: at "2 o'clock," five miles away travelling, below Flight 663's position. In reality, the traffic, Pan Am 212, was above Flight 663, descending from 5000 feet (1,524 m). Captain Carson acknowledged that he saw the traffic, that he was beginning to turn into the Dutch Seven Departure, and signed off, saying, "Good night."
| Sender (bold) Recipient |
Message | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| JFK Control Tower to Pan Am 212 |
Traffic at 11 o’clock, six miles, southeastbound, just climbing out of three |
|
| Pan Am 212 to JFK Control Tower |
We have traffic. | |
| JFK Control Tower to Eastern 663 |
Traffic, 2 o’clock, five miles, northeast-bound, below you. | |
| Eastern 663 to JFK Control Tower |
Okay. We have the traffic. Turning one seven zero, six six three . . . good night. | |
| JFK Control Tower to Eastern 663 |
Good night, sir. |
Flight 663's radioed "good night" at 6:25 p.m. was the last transmission received from the doomed flight.
Crash
The night of February 8 was dark, with no visible moon or stars, and no visible horizon. As the two airliners approached similar positions, their pilots had no points of reference with which to determine actual separation distance or position. Flight 663's departure turn, and Pan Am's subsequent turn left to its assigned heading, had placed the two aircraft on the illusion of a direct collision course. The Boeing rolledFlight dynamics
Flight dynamics is the science of air vehicle orientation and control in three dimensions. The three critical flight dynamics parameters are the angles of rotation in three dimensions about the vehicle's center of mass, known as pitch, roll and yaw .Aerospace engineers develop control systems for...
right and initiated a descent in an attempt to avoid collision. In response, Eastern 663 initiated an extreme right turn in order to pass safely. The captain of Pan Am 212 later estimated that the two aircraft had passed between 200 foot of each other, while the first officer estimated that the distance was only 200 foot.
Flight 663 was unable to recover from its unusually steep bank and plunged into the icy water of the Atlantic Ocean, where it exploded into bright orange flames. The Pan American 707 was the first to relay news of the crash as it was receiving permission to land. Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
Flight 627, which had departed a few minutes prior to Flight 663, also radioed news of an explosion in the water.
| Sender (bold) Recipient |
Message | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Pan Am 212 to JFK Control Tower |
Uh . . . OK. We had a close miss Near miss (safety) See Close Call, for the 2002 film.A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage – but had the potential to do so. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury, fatality or damage; in other words, a miss that was nonetheless very near... here. Uh . . . we’re turning now to . . . Uh . . . three six zero and . . . Uh . . . did you have another target in this area at the same spot where we were just a minute ago? |
|
| JFK Control Tower to Pan Am 212 |
Uh . . . affirmative, however, not on my scope at present time. | |
| Pan Am 212 to JFK Control Tower |
Is he still on the scope? | |
| JFK Control Tower to Pan Am 212 |
No sir. | |
| Pan Am 212 to JFK Control Tower |
It looked like he's in the Bay then, because we saw him. He looked like he winged over to miss us and we tried to avoid him, and we saw a bright flash about one minute later. He was well over the top of us, and it looked like he went into an absolute vertical turn and kept rolling. | |
| Air Canada 627 to JFK Control Tower |
There's a big fire going out on the water here about our 2 o'clock position right now. I don't know what it is. It looked like a big explosion. |
After the initial explosion, the wrecked aircraft sank to the bottom of 75 feet (22.9 m) of water. Numerous air crews, including Pan Am 212, Air Canada 627, and Braniff Airlines Flight 5, radioed ATC controllers in the area with news of an explosion. The aircraft broke up upon impact, and was destroyed. All 5 crewmembers and 79 passengers died on impact.
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 NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
provided underwater sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
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 (64.4 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
Spatial disorientation
Spatial disorientation is the inability to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude or airspeed, in relation to the Earth or point of reference. Spatial disorientation is a condition in which an aircraft pilot's perception of direction does not agree with reality...
. 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
Near miss (safety)
See Close Call, for the 2002 film.A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage – but had the potential to do so. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury, fatality or damage; in other words, a miss that was nonetheless very near...
of Flights 663 and 212, the FAA
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was and remains the 3rd deadliest crash of a DC-7 (after Caledonian Airways Flight 153 and Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 293
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 293
Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 293 was an American military charter operated on the 3 June 1963 by a Northwest Orient Airlines Douglas DC-7C registered N290 which crashed into the sea off the coast of Canada with the loss of all 101 crew and passengers on board.-Accident:Flight 293 was chartered...
), and is the 25th deadliest single-plane accident to have occurred on US soil.
See also
- Lists of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- Air safetyAir safetyAir safety is a term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.-United...
- Near miss (safety)Near miss (safety)See Close Call, for the 2002 film.A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage – but had the potential to do so. Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury, fatality or damage; in other words, a miss that was nonetheless very near...