American Airlines Flight 6780
| Company type | Passenger flight |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | January 22, 1952 |
| Fate | Crashed |
| Headquarters | Elizabeth, New Jersey , United States |
American Airlines Flight 6780, marking the first deadly accident involving a Convair 240, took place on January 22, 1952.
This twin-engine propeller aircraft was servicing a route connecting Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Newark. While executing its final descent toward runway 6 at Newark Airport under the guidance of the instrument landing system, the plane crashed at 3:45 p.m. into a residence located at Williamson and South Streets in Elizabeth, New Jersey, approximately southwest of Newark. The exact cause of the accident remained undetermined.
The aircraft veered to the right of its intended path, narrowly avoiding Battin High School, which had dismissed students just 45 minutes prior.
Casualties
The tragedy claimed the lives of all 23 individuals aboard (comprising 20 passengers and 3 crew members) as well as seven people on the ground due to the impact and ensuing fire.
Captain Thomas J. Reid, who resided just a few blocks from the crash location, had recently returned from an airlift mission to Japan. His spouse revealed that they had plans to relocate to a new residence in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.
Among those on board was Robert P. Patterson, who formerly served as Undersecretary of War under Franklin Delano Roosevelt and as War Secretary during Harry S. Truman’s administration. Patterson had been recently recruited by IBM’s Thomas J. Watson for a new assignment and opted to change his rail ticket to a flight after concluding a federal case earlier than expected in Buffalo.
Aftermath
This accident was the second in a sequence of three crashes occurring in Elizabeth over a span of two months. On December 16, 1951, a Miami Airlines C-46 plunged into the Elizabeth River shortly after takeoff, resulting in the deaths of all 56 passengers and crew aboard.
The third incident, involving National Airlines Flight 101, happened on February 11, 1952, causing 29 fatalities out of 63 passengers and narrowly missing an orphanage. In response to public concern, the Port of New York Authority shut down Newark Airport for nine months; it resumed operations on November 15. Subsequently, the State of New York required that airport approach paths be routed over water whenever feasible.
President Harry Truman appointed a commission headed by aviation pioneer Jimmy Doolittle to evaluate how airports affected neighboring communities. The panel advised implementing zoning regulations designed to avoid placing schools, hospitals, and other assembly venues beneath final approach corridors.
These aviation disasters influenced Elizabeth native and author Judy Blume in writing her 2015 novel In the Unlikely Event.
Sources
- Report - Civil Aeronautics Board - PDF
- "Plane Crash" The Herald-Press, January 23, 1952. St. Joseph, Michigan. pp. 1, 6
- "Airliner Crash Deaths Reach 28" The Deseret News January 23, 1952. pp. 1,2
- "Patterson called Great American by Truman" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette January 23, 1952, pp. 1,3
- Articles with short description
- Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain
- Airliner accidents and incidents in New Jersey
- Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1952
- American Airlines accidents and incidents
- Accidents and incidents involving the Convair CV-240 family
- History of Elizabeth, New Jersey
- 1952 in New Jersey
- January 1952 in the United States
- Newark Liberty International Airport