1966 — Nov 11, USAF Constellation plane crash, Atlantic Ocean east of Cape Cod, MA– 19

–19 Associated Press. “Air Force Hunting Plane…19 Men Lost over Atlantic,” 11 Nov 1966.
–19 Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. USAF Constellation, 11-11-1966.
–19 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 92.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network:
“Date: Friday 11 November 1966, 01:27
“Type: Lockheed EC-121H Super Constellation
“Operator: United States Air Force – USAF
“Registration: 55-5262
“MSN: 4413
“First flight: 1956
“Crew: Fatalities: 19 / Occupants: 19
“Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
….
“Location: 200 km (125 mls) E off Nantucket, MA, USA (Atlantic Ocean)
“Phase: En route
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Falmouth-Otis AFB, MA
“Destination airport: Falmouth-Otis AFB, MA
“Narrative:
“The Lockheed EC-121H Super Constellation, attached to the 961st Airborne Early Warning and Control Squadron, was assigned to an air defense mission to airborne long-range input (ALRI) station 2. Estimated time en route was 9 hours plus 50 minutes.

“On 10 November, 1966 at 23:38 local time, the aircraft taxied to the maintenance ramp reporting malfunctions on the no. 1 engine #1 cylinder And no. 2 engine #1 power Recovery Turbine (prt). The spark plugs, coils and leads were changed on #1 cylinder no. 1 engine, and the clamps were tightened on #1 PRT, no. 2 engine. Engines were again started at 00:20, November 11, and the aircraft took off from Otis AFB runway 23 at 00:37.

“While en route the flight crew radioed: ‘still have flames coming from PRT #2 engine’. However the aircraft-continued on its mission.

“At 01:25 all radar contact was lost. A minute later the aircraft was seen to pass over two fishing vessels at low altitude (150-200ft). One or more engines were heard to be backfiring. The aircraft later hit the water and burst into flames.

“Only a widening oil slick and a few bits of floating debris marked the spot of the crash. Recovered were pieces of aircraft skin and insulation, a seat with a cushion, and three empty life preservers. Air Force officials identified them as from the missing plane.”

Gero:
“Date: 11 November 1966 (c.01:30)
“Location: North Atlantic Ocean
“Operator: US Air Force
“Aircraft type: Lockheed ED-121H (55-5262)

“The airborne early warning and control aircraft [55-5262] crashed 140 miles (225km) east-south-east of Chatham, located on the eastern tip of the Cape Cod peninsula, Massachusetts, US, in an area where the depth of the water was about 175 to 200ft (55-60m) deep. Among the 19 crewmen, searchers found no survivors nor any of the victims’ bodies. None of the recovered wreckage showed evidence of in-flight fire, explosion or mechanical failure. However, shortly before the crash, 55-5262 was observed at a height of only about 200ft (60m), on a north-north-easterly heading and apparently in a level attitude while emitting smoke or vapor. After passing over a fishing vessel with at least one of its four engines back-firing, the aircraft struck the surface of the ocean, apparently extremely hard and in a nose-up, right-banking attitude, with its undercarriage retracted, exploding on impact and leaving flames burning atop the water. The crash occurred in early morning darkness, but the weather in the area at the time was clear, with a visibility of around 5 miles (10km) and winds out of the south ranging from approximately 10 to 20 knots.” (Gero 1999, 92).”

Newspaper

Nov 11: “OTIS AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. (AP) — An Air Force Constellation with 19 men aboard is missing today and presumed to have crashed in the Atlantic some 125 miles east of Cape Cod. The four engine EC121H, a radar patrol plane out of Otis, vanished from radar screens early this morning while on a routine air defense mission. Officials said there was no indication the plane was in trouble when contact was lost. First word of a possible crash came by radio from a small fishing vessel…. Debris was found near the spot where the plane was reported to have crashed and was being brought back to Otis for identification…. A Coast Guard spokesman at Boston said the plane left Otis at 12:35 a.m., and was last heard from by radio at 1:22 a.m.” (Associated Press. “Air Force Hunting Plane With 19 Men Lost Over Atlantic.” 11-11-1966.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Air Force Hunting Plane With 19 Men Lost Over Atlantic.” 11-11-1966. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=6164361&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=0

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. USAF Lockheed ED-121H Super Constellation crash, 11-11-1966, 125 miles east off Nantucket MA. Accessed 4-27-2022 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19661111-0

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.