1960 — Jan 6, National Airlines Flight 2511 blown-up by dynamite over Bolivia, NC –all 34

–34 Aerospaceweb.org. Commercial Airliner Bombings. “6 Jan 1960 – National…2511.”
–34 Airdisaster.com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 01061960.
–34 Aviation Safety Network. Criminal Occurrence Description, Nat. Flight 2511, Jan 6, 1960.
–34 Civil Aeronautics Board. AAR. National Airlines… Near Bolivia, NC, January 6, 1960.
–34 Eckert. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” AJFMP, 3/1, Mar 1982, Table 1.
–34 Wikipedia. “National Airlines Flight 2511.”

Narrative Information

ASN: “The DC-6 was one of two aircraft substituted for a Boeing 707 which had incurred mechanical difficulty. En route to Miami the aircraft disintegrated in flight. Portions of the wreckage fell near Kura Beach and the major wreckage fell about 13 miles West of Kura Beach. It appeared that a dynamite explosion had occurred which was detonated by means of dry cell batteries. The explosion occurred near the right of seat row 7.” (ASN National Flight 2511, Jan 6, 1960)

Civil Aeronautics Board: “At approximately 0700 a telephone call was received by the National Airlines radio operator from a Richard Randolph of Bolivia, North Carolina, advising that there was airplane wreckage in the field near his house 1-1/2 miles northwest of Bolivia. This wreckage was later identified as that of N 8225H” [National 2511]. (CAB. AAR, National Air, Near Bolivia, NC, Jan 6, 1960)
Synopsis

“At approximately 0238 e. s t., January 6, 1960, a National Airlines DC-6B crashed in a field approximately 1-1/2 miles northwest of Bolivia, North Carolina All 29 passengers and the crew of five were killed.

“Flight 2511 of January 5, 1960, departed New York International (Idlewild) Airport at 2334 on an IFR clearance scheduled as a nonstop flight to Miami, Florida. The flight proceeded routinely in accordance with its flight plan until shortly after passing Wilmington, North Carolina.

“At 0231 Flight 2511 contacted the company radio station at Wilmington while over Carolina Beach at 18,000 feet, and transmitted a routine progress report. Shortly after the completion of this radio contact a dynamite explosion occurred in the passenger cabin. Following this explosion the aircraft entered a wide descending right turn and crashed 1-1/2 miles north-west of Bolivia at 0238 some 16 miles west of its intended flight path

“No reference is made in this report concerning the placing of the dynamite aboard the aircraft or of the person or persons responsible for its detonation. The malicious destruction of an aircraft is a Federal crime. After the Board’s determination that such was involved, the criminal aspects of this accident were referred to the Department of Justice through its Federal Bureau of Investigation….
Structures

“Initial examination of the main wreckage scene showed that the major portion of the aircraft was scattered over a large area in the vicinity of Bolivia, North Carolina. In addition, reports were received of wreckage being located at Kure Beach approximately 16 miles east of the Bolivia site.

“It was apparent from the initial examination at the scene that a sizable portion of the fuselage was missing and as a result of this initial examination it was evident that a three-dimensional reconstruction of the fuselage and center wing wreckage was necessary to fully explore the aircraft disintegration pattern The wreckage therefore was removed to a hangar at the Wilmington Airport where a chicken wire and wood framework was constructed, and which corresponded to the contour and size of a DC-6B fuselage….

“Examination of the aircraft structure and the wreckage distribution indicated that an inflight disintegration of the aircraft had occurred, which initiated at a point in the fuselage near the leading edge of the right wing on the right side of the passenger cabin. The portions of wreckage recovered in the Kure Beach area were all from this general location….

“All of the interior furnishings aft of the lavatory area of the fuselage were examined for foreign deposits or debris or for evidence of any unusual conditions. Particular emphasis was placed on the area just forward of the wing since this appeared to be the focal point of the fuselage disintegration. Numerous tiny pieces of wire approximately .025 inch in diameter and necked down at each end were found scattered throughout this area. Deposits of sodium carbonate, sodium nitrate, and complex mixtures of sodium…compounds were found in the air went in the hat-rack… from the right side of the cabin in the area of the focal force of the initial disintegration….

Human Factors

“From the passenger manifest it was determined that 29 passengers and a crew of five were aboard the aircraft. Initially, two of the passengers’ bodies could not be located. Both of these bodies, however, were found later; one was in the main wreckage area, and the other was recovered from Snow’s Marsh on the west side of the Cape Fear River some 16 miles from the main wreckage area.

“The local coroner ordered post-mortem examinations of the passengers and crew as deemed necessary to determine the cause of death of each.

“The body recovered from Snow’s Marsh was identified as that of Mr. Julian A. Frank. The autopsy conducted on the body of W. Frank showed extensive avulsion (tearing a-way) of the lower extremities, and X-rays showed numerous foreign objects to be imbedded in its tissue. In view of the nature of the injuries to Mr. Frank, it was determined that further examination of the body was necessary to assure complete documentation of the injuries sustained. Accordingly, a second examination of the body revealed many additional foreign particles imbedded in the body and further documented the injuries sustained by this body….

Analysis

The Aircraft

“The examination of the aircraft wreckage disclosed no evidence of any malfunction or failure of the aircraft, its powerplants, propellers, or systems prior to the detonation of dynamite in the passenger cabin. The review or the aircraft records and the maintenance and overhaul records showed that all work was properly accomplished and adequately supervised.

Human Factors

“The finding of the body of one of the passengers some 16 miles from the main wreckage area, where all the other bodies were recovered, was considered significant in that it clearly showed that some type of cabin failure had occurred early in the sequence of events. Also, the examination of the fuselage in close detail indicated that the forces which caused the cabin wall failure emanated from within. The examination of Mr. Frank’s body showed that the injuries sustained were significant in nature as they were not of the type normally associated with an aircraft accident. The existence of an explosive force in close proximity to this passenger is indicated by the avulsion injuries noted, the traumatic amputation of the lower extremities, and the fragmentation of muscle tissue manifested by tears in a longitudinal direction and loss of much skin, and the splinters of bone found in random directions to the main bone shaft of the fingers of the right hand In addition, the numerous particles of metal, fiber, cloth, wire, and other objects found in the body tissue could only have resulted from the detonation of an explosive in close proximity to this passenger. Medical experts with extensive experience with battle field “landmine injuries” and other injuries resulting from explosives indicate that the injuries sustained by the body found at Snow’s Marsh could only have been caused by an explosive blast….

Structures

“….The nitrate traces found on the lifejacket and the presence in the air vent of the residues usually found after the explosion of dynamite in addition to the other facts set forth conclusively show that a dynamite explosion was set off in the passenger cabin.

Conclusions

“At approximately 0233 a dynamite charge was exploded, initiated by means of a cell battery within the passenger cabin and at a point beneath the extreme right of seat row No. 7. (CAB, Aircraft Accident Report, National Airlines… Near Bolivia, NC, January 6, 1960)

CAB: “Flight 2511 of January 5, 1960, was one of two aircraft used as replacements for Flight 601, which was scheduled as a nonstop Boeing 707 jet flight to depart Idlewild at 2115, 1 utilizing Pan American Aircraft N 710PA under a lease agreement.

“Owing to the late arrival of N 710PA from Miami, the flight was rescheduled to depart at 2215. During the turnaround inspection on N 710PA it was discovered that the copilot’s No. 3 aft window was cracked and would require replacement. Since it was estimated that the replacement time would be about eight hours a National Lockheed Electra, N 5003K, and a National Douglas DC-6B, N 8225H, were substituted.

“Passengers originally ticketed on Flight 601 were enplaned on a first-come, first-served basis on the Electra and then the DC-6B. Seventy-six passengers boarded the Electra, which departed New York International Airport at 2334 The remaining 29 passengers boarded-the DC-6B which left the terminal at 2334.” (CAB AAR. National Airlines… Near Bolivia, NC, January 6, 1960

Wikipedia: “Investigators suspected that Frank had taken the bomb aboard the aircraft willingly, and that the bombing was therefore a murder-suicide. The points that led them to believe that Frank was culpable include:

• The bomb exploded at 3:38 AM, hours after the original Flight 601 was scheduled to land at Miami. Had the bomb been placed on Flight 2511 by a party not on the aircraft at the time, it should have been set to detonate at a time when Flight 601 would have been in the air.

• The aircraft had not been in use for some time before it was called into service to replace the Boeing 707 that had been grounded, and it was therefore unlikely that the bomb was on the aircraft before boarding.

• Frank had been under investigation for fraud and embezzlement at the time of his death, and had also taken out large amounts of life insurance shortly before boarding the aircraft.

• The explosion was in immediate proximity to Frank, either in his lap or immediately under his seat.

“There was, however, other evidence that made it less than certain that Frank was culpable. These include:

• On November 16, 1959, less than two months before the crash of Flight 2511, National Airlines Flight 967 disappeared over the Gulf of Mexico. Although the aircraft was lost at sea and the Civil Aeronautics Board could not determine a probable cause for the accident, it was believed that the aircraft had been destroyed by a dynamite bomb. Investigators discovered that a small-time crook named William Taylor had boarded the aircraft on a ticket belonging to Richard Spears, a convicted felon who had befriended Taylor in prison and who had taken out over $100,000.00 worth of life insurance on himself. They hypothesized that Taylor had boarded the aircraft with luggage packed by Spears and, unbeknownst to Taylor, containing a bomb.

• Frank’s purchase of life insurance before boarding a flight was not at all unusual in 1960. Airports even had vending machines that issued insurance policies good for the duration of the flight.

• Frank was a commercial lawyer and was not thought to have the knowledge necessary to build an explosive device.

“No charges were laid in the bombing. The investigation officially remains open….

“During the recovery, it was discovered that the remains of one passenger, Julian A. Frank, a lawyer from New York City, were missing from the accident site. His body was eventually found sixteen miles away at a place called Snow’s Marsh west of the Cape Fear River. While autopsies of the crew and remaining passengers showed that all had died due to crash forces, Frank’s autopsy showed that he had been fatally injured by a dynamite explosion originating either in his lap or (more likely) immediately under his seat.” (Wikipedia. National Airlines Flight 2511)

Newspaper

Jan 6: “The plane, carrying a crew of fine and 27 passengers, was on a non-stop flight from New York [Idlewild] to Miami. The big night flying coach [left NY at 11:51 p.m.], a DC 6B, was last heard from at 3:31 a.m. At that time the plane was just south of Wilmington when the pilot made a check. The flight plan called for the plane to hug the coast on the leg from New York to Wilmington, then to swing out to sea for the overwater leg to Palm Beach.” (Bennington Evening Banner, January 6, 1960, p. 1)

Sources

Aerospaceweb.org. Commercial Airliner Bombing History. Accessed 12/21/2008 at: http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/planes/q0283.shtml

Airdisaster.com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 01061960. Accessed at: http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=01061960&reg=N8225H&airline=National+Airlines

Aviation Safety Network. Criminal Occurrence Description. National Flight 2511, Jan 6, 1960. Accessed 12-21-2008 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19600106-0

Civil Aeronautics Board. Aircraft Accident Report. National Airlines Inc., Douglas DC-6B, N 8225H, Near Bolivia, North Carolina, January 6, 1960. Washington, DC: CAB, July 29, 1960, 15 pp. Accessed at: http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=8&name=*P%3A%5CDOT%5Cairplane%20accidents%5Cwebsearch%5C010660.pdf

Eckert, William G. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, Vol. 3, No. 1, March 1982, Table 1.

Wikipedia. “National Airlines Flight 2511.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Airlines_Flight_2511