1962 — Nov 23, Plane/Bird Collision, United 297, Near Ellicott City, MD — 17
— 18 AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 11231962.
— 17 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Descrip. United 297, Ellicott City, MD, 23 Nov 1962.
— 17 CAB. AAR. United Air Lines… Near Ellicott City, Maryland, November 23, 1962.
— 17 Kimura. World Commercial Aircraft Accidents 3rd Ed., 1946-1993, V.1. 4-11-1994, p, 3-7.
Narrative Information
Civil Aeronautics Board Synopsis: “….Flight 297 was en route from Newark, New Jersey to Washington, D. C. The flight was operating at an assigned altitude of 6,000 feet when it apparently penetrated a flock of Whistling Swans. At least two of these a were struck by the aircraft. One swan collided with the right horizontal stabilizer inflicting superficial damage only. The other bird punctured the left horizontal stabilizer, traveled through the structure, and dented the elevator as it egresses. The weakened structure failed in this area. rendered the aircraft uncontrollable, and resulted in, the aircraft striking the ground in a nose-low inverted attitude.
Investigation “United Air Lines Flight 297, a Vickers-Armstrongs Viscount, Model 745D, N 7430, was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Newark, New Jersey to Atlanta, Georgia, with planned en route stops at Washington, D. C., Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte, North Carolina. It crashed at approximately 1224 1/ on November 23, 1962, in a wooded area six miles west-southwest of Ellicott City, Maryland. All thirteen passengers and a crew of four were fatally injured.
“Flight 297 departed Newark at 1139…. The flight progressed normally and at 1214, was cleared to descend from 10,000 to 6,000 feet. The following advisory was issued to United 297 at 1219: “Be advised there’s been numerous reports of considerable amount of ducks and geese around this area.” This report was acknowledged, and a radar handoff to Washington Approach Control effected at 1220. After reporting level at 6,000 feet, Flight 297 contacted Washington Approach Control… At 1222 the following transmission was made by approach control: “United 297, radar contact, turn left heading two zero-zero, radar vector omni final approach course via Alexandria Intersection, landing runway three six, wind northwest ten, altimeter three zero three seven.” This transmission was acknowledged… An additional vector to 180 degrees was transmitted at 1223; however. there was no reply from the flight, At 1224 it was determined that radar contact had been lost….
“Statements were obtained from several eyewitnesses to the accident. Their vantage points bracketed the crash site. A consensus of their observations is that N 7430, when first sighted was at a very low altitude turning to the left on an east or southeast heading. The aircraft abruptly rolled inverted and disappeared through the trees in a near vertical attitude. Some shiny objects, later identified as parts of the aircraft, were observed falling in the immediate area of the crash. The attention of some witnesses was attracted to the aircraft initially by an unusual noise, the origin of which has not been determined. A statement was also obtained from a pilot who was flying in the vicinity of Beltsville, Maryland, at approximately 1230 on the date of the accident. He reported sighting a flock of approximately 50 very large white birds flying in trail, and estimated their altitude to be 5,500 feet, level with him in an area bounded by Ellicott City, Savage, and Clarksville, Maryland. This position would place the birds within a maximum distance of eight miles from the crash site….
“Examination of the main wreckage site, six miles west-southwest of Ellicott City, Maryland, indicated the aircraft struck the ground in an inverted attitude, at an angle of 46 degrees measured from the horizontal. The heading at impact was 132 degrees. There was no evidence of in-flight fire, but a severe ground fire following impact consumed the major portion of the fuselage, right wing, and the left wing inboard of the No. 1 engine. Parts of the left and right horizontal stabilizers and elevators separated in flight….
“Bird remains were found on both horizontal stabilizers indicating two distinct bird strikes on these surfaces. Superficial damage occurred on the right horizontal stabilizer 22 inches outboard of the fuselage. This strike was a glancing blow and did not result in penetration. The other strike was on the left horizontal stabilizer approximately 49 inches outboard of the fuselage. 3/ In this instance the bird penetrated the leading edge and passed through the leading edge member. Continuing aft the bird fractured the spar web, partially separating it from the top and bottom caps, and then made final contact with the lower leading edge of the elevator, which resulted in denting but no penetration. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator failed along a chord plane generally following the travel of the bird through the structure. The direction of failure was downward and slightly aft. In addition to this failure, the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator separated downward and aft approximately- 57 inches from the fuselage. Subsequently the weakened inboard portion of this horizontal stabilizer also failed….
“Subsequent to the accident, a partial bird carcass consisting of a large piece of skin covered with white feathers was found 10 feet from the separated section of the left horizontal stabilizer. The skin measured 19 inches in length and 9 inches in width. Specimens of feathers, tissue and blood were obtained from the separated parts of the aircraft, and that portion of the horizontal stabilizer still attached to the fuselage. The Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland determined these tissue and blood specimens to be of bird origin. The specimens and carcass were then taken to the Fish and Wild-life Service of the U. S, Department of the Interior. They identified the bird by examination of feathers and bones to be an Olor Columbianus (whistling swan). The largest concentration of these birds on the North American Continent at this time of year is in the Chesapeake Bay area. The average weight of the birds available at the Fish and Wildlife Service was 14 pounds for the male and 11.5 pounds for the female; however, they are known to attain weights in excess of 18 pounds.
“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a loss of control following separation of the left horizontal stabilizer which had been weakened by a collision with a Whistling Swan….
Recommendations “….Although the subject strike involved failure of a tail surface, conceivably tomorrow some other vital component. such as a spoiler, wing flap, control surface, control tab, etc., could be involved. Impairment of a vital control function could have equally catastrophic consequences. Clearly, therefore, consideration should be given to broadening the present requirements to insure overall protection against catastrophic damage from bird strikes.
“The Board recognizes that any project established to evaluate and attempt solution of catastrophic bird strike damage will be a colossal undertaking, but the problem is no less colossal. Accordingly, the Board has recommended to the Administrator that the program already underway in this regard be expanded to include consideration of broadening the present bird strike requirements. It has been further recommended that physical testing be included to corroborate any analytical studies, and that a new survey of bird strikes be made along lines similar to those reported in TDC Report No. 62 [1949]. The Administrator has advised the Board that the Federal Aviation Agency is now formulating a series of bird strike tests, and that it is exploring all aspects of the overall problem from ‘both the engineering and operational point of view.” (CAB. AAR. United Air Lines… Near Ellicott City, Maryland, November 23, 1962.)
Sources
AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 11231962. Accessed at: http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=11231962®=N7430&airline=United+Airlines
Civil Aeronautics Board. Aircraft Accident Report. United Air Lines, Inc., Vickers-Armstrongs Viscount, N 7430, Near Ellicott City, Maryland, November 23, 1962. Washington DC: CAB (File No. 1-0034), March 22, 1963, 17 pages. Accessed at: http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?file&fn=8&name=*P%3A%5CDOT%5Cairplane%20accidents%5Cwebsearch%5C112362.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.