Accidents involving commercial aircraft were certainly more common in the mid-20th century than they are now. Nonetheless, two crashes with US airlines in 1947 still stand out, both involving Douglas DC-4 aircraft. First of all, United Airlines flight 521 crashed on May 29th of that year, killing 43 of the 48 people onboard.This death toll prompted the accident to become the worst commercial air crash in the US to date. However, an accident the following day proved to be even worse, when Eastern Air Lines flight 605 crashed on May 30th, killing all 53 people onboard. This caused the title of the worst US airline crash to change hands again.

United Airlines flight 521

United Airlines flight 521 on May 29th, 1947 was a scheduled flight from New York LaGuardia Airport to Cleveland, Ohio. According to the Aviation Safety Network, it crashed on takeoff, with the Douglas DC-4 aircraft failing to leave the ground. It overran the runway and crashed into an embankment, and caught fire.

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Some people managed to escape the burning aircraft, which, according to data from ATDB.aero, was barely more than three years old at the time of the crash. Still, most were not so lucky, with 43 of the 48 people onboard killed.

An investigation into the tragedy concluded that pilot error was the cause of the crash, with the pilots having decided to abort the takeoff attempt after using up two-thirds of the runway at LaGuardia. This was due to sudden windshear and uncertainty about the suitable conditions for takeoff, but the decision came too late, and the aircraft failed to stop before overrunning the end of the runway.

Eastern Air Lines flight 605

Less than 24 hours later, Eastern Air Lines flight 605 departed Newark Liberty International (EWR) for Miami International (MIA) on May 30th, 1947 without incident. Operated by a 2.5-year-old ex-USAF Douglas C-54B (a military variant of the DC-4), this service along the East Coast of the US had 53 people onboard.

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However, around 37 minutes later, the aircraft entered a steep dive and crashed into the ground just to the east of Bainbridge, Maryland. This happened despite reports in the local media suggesting that the pilots had told air traffic control that all was well while flying over Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In any case, all 49 passengers and four crew onboard the aircraft were killed as a result of the crash.

The investigation found that a sudden loss of control leading to a dive was the cause of the crash, although the reasons for this loss of control were never established. Some later reports (not those used in the official investigation) suggested that a missing hinge bolt leading to the loss of elevator control could have been to blame. Either way, the conclusive reason remains unknown.

Two of the worst crashes in US aviation history

These two Douglas DC-4 crashes were the worst at that time in the US, and it is striking that they occurred on consecutive days. Before the United crash, the most deadly accident to date involved the Hindenburg airship in May 1937. This caught fire while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 people.

Unfortunately, there have been many worse accidents since 1947 as well. A further Douglas DC-4 accident in November 1949 killed 55 people, when Eastern Air Lines flight 537 crashed on landing in Washington DC after a flight from Boston. This subsequently took over the record for the most deadly airliner crash in the US.

Today, the worst airliner crash in US history in terms of onboard victims remains American Airlines flight 191, which came down on May 25th, 1979. This involved an American Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 flying from Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to Los Angeles International (LAX). The trijet crashed just after takeoff after an engine became detached, killing all 271 onboard and two on the ground.

Sources: ATDB.aero, Aviation Safety Network, Middletown Times Herald via The Flightpath

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  United Airlines

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  UA/UAL

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Guam International Airport, Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1931

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Scott Kirby

  Country:

  United States