1962 — March 1, American Air Flight 1 Crash, Jamaica Bay, Queens, NY — 95
— 95 AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 03011962.
— 95 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. American Flight 1, 01 Mar 1962.
— 95 CAB. AAR. American Airlines…Jamaica Bay, Long Island, NY, March 1, 1962.
— 95 Kimura. World Commercial Aircraft Accidents 3rd Edition, V.1. 1994, p. 2.6
Narrative Information
ASN: Idlewild Airport: “At 10:05 American Flight 1 was cleared for take-off from runway 31L on a scheduled domestic non-stop IFR flight to Los Angeles. The aircraft carried out what appeared to be a normal take-off, and lift-off was at 10:07 hours about 5000 ft down runway 31L. At 10:07:37 the aircraft started a gentle turn to the left approximately 8000 ft down the runway, at an altitude of 100 ft, and was established on a heading of 290° at 10:07:42. Straightening out from the turn, the aircraft continued to climb for several seconds on a heading of 290° and started a second turn to the left as instructed by Departure Control. These maneuvers were in accordance with the noise abatement procedures then in effect for taking-off from runway 31L. Having started the second turn, the angle of bank increased until the aircraft rolled through 90° of bank at a peak altitude of about 1600 ft msl . It then entered an inverted, nose-low attitude and plunged earthward in a nearly vertical dive. It struck the earth in the shallow waters of Pumpkin Patch Channel of Jamaica Bay during low tide. Impact was at an angle of approximately 78° nose down on a magnetic heading of 300°. Fire broke out a few minutes later.” (Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description, American Flight 1, 01 Mar 1962)
CAB: “On March 1, 1962, American Airlines Flight One, a Boeing 707-123B, U. S. Registry N 7506A, crashed into Jamaica Bay slightly less than two minutes after takeoff from New York International Airport, Jamaica, New York. The aircraft was totally destroyed. All occupants, 87 passengers and the crew of 8, sustained fatal injuries.
“Flight One was cleared for takeoff from Runway 31L on a regularly scheduled nonstop flight to Los Angeles, California, and became airborne at 1007 e.s.t. The takeoff and initial climb appeared to be normal and a gentle turn to the left was started about 8,000 feet down the runway near taxiway AA, at an altitude of about 100 feet. Straightening out from this turn the aircraft continued to climb for several seconds on a magnetic heading of 290 degrees, and started a second turn to the left, apparently in compliance with radar vector directions given by Departure Control. In the second turn the airplane continued to climb. After initiation of the second turn the angle of bank increased until the airplane rolled through 90 degrees of bank at a peak altitude of about 1,600 feet m.s.1. It then entered an inverted, nose-low attitude and plunged earthward in a nearly vertical dive. The airplane struck the shallow waters of Pumpkin Patch Channel of Jamaica Bay approximately three miles southwest of the Idlewild Control Tower at 1008:49 Floating debris and fuel ignited a few minutes later and burned fiercely.
“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a rudder control system malfunction producing yaw, sideslip and roll leading to a loss of control from which recovery action was not effective.
Investigation:
“After arrival at Idlewild and in preparation for its scheduled departure as Flight One at 0945 on the same day, a layover check and an origination check were accomplished on the airplane. To correct pilot-reported discrepancies, a VHF receiver and the cabin pressure auto controller were changed. Cracks were found in the inlet guide vanes of engine Nos. 1 and 2 and were welded. A scheduled main oil screen change on engine No. 3 was performed, the flight engineer’s instrument panel light rheostat-transformer was replaced, and the airplane was serviced. Investigation of the maintenance and servicing performed on N 7506A during its layover at Idlewild showed that these tasks had been properly completed and signed off in accordance with American Airlines procedures before N 7506A was released for dispatch…..
“The aircraft struck the earth in the shallow waters of Pumpkin Patch Channel of Jamaica Bay during low tide when the depth of the water varied from several inches to several feet and higher elevations of the bottom were exposed….
“Testimony of eyewitnesses indicated that the takeoff and climb appeared to be normal until the bank to the left steepened to an angle beyond that usually expected of a departing aircraft. As it continued its flight, however, witnesses observed N 7506A continue its roll to the left through a 90-degree bank, enter an inverted nose-low attitude and plunge downward in a dive which was almost vertical. During the vertical portion of the dive, which was estimated by a witness to start at approximately 900 feet, little, if any, rotation of the wings about the longitudinal axis of the airplane was observed….. Except for one witness who testified that the aircraft appeared to stall just before nosing over, most of the witnesses stated that the entire maneuver was characterized by a smooth, continuous movement, with no indication of recovery action being discernible….
“The crater made by the aircraft in the bottom of the bay was approximately 130 feet long and 8 to 10 feet deep. On impact the wings were fragmented and the fuselage crushed accordion-like, breaking into many sections. Part of the horizontal stabilizer and elevator with the tip of the fuselage attached was the largest piece of structure recovered. The fire, which ensued shortly after impact, heavily damaged the above-water portions of the airplane structure. Impact and fire damage was so extensive as to preclude examination of numerous components of the aircraft which might possibly have yielded important information. No evidence could be found to indicate that there had been an in-flight fire, an explosion, structural fatigue, or overload failure….” (CAB. AAR. American Airlines…Jamaica Bay, Long Island, NY, March 1, 1962)
AirDisaster.com: “The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Idlewild Airport in New York City. Use of an improper tool during maintenance caused wire damage in the tail assembly, which led to an uncommanded rudder deflection shortly after takeoff.” (AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 03011962.)
Sources
AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 03011962. Accessed at: http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=03011962®=N7506A&airline=American+Airlines
Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. American Airlines Flight 1. 1 March 1962. Accessed 4-8-2020 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19620301-0
Civil Aeronautics Board. Aircraft Accident Report. American Airlines, Inc., Boeing 707-123B N 7506A. Jamaica Bay, Long Island, New York, March 1, 1962. D.C.: CAB, 1-15-1963. At: http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=8&name=*P%3A%5CDOT%5Cairplane%20accidents%5Cwebsearch%5C030162.pdf
Kimura, Chris Y. World Commercial Aircraft Accidents 3rd Edition, 1946-1993, Volume 1: Jet and Turboprop Aircrafts. Livermore, CA: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Risk Assessment and Nuclear Engineering Group. 4-11-1994.