United Air Lines Flight 521

United Air Lines Flight 521

Industry	Aviation
Fate	Crashed on May 29, 1947
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Products	Passenger air service

United Air Lines Flight 521 was a regularly scheduled passenger service utilizing a Douglas DC-4 aircraft, operating between LaGuardia Airport in New York City and Cleveland, Ohio. On May 29, 1947, during its takeoff attempt from runway 18, the plane failed to lift off, overran the runway surface, broke through an airport perimeter fence onto the Grand Central Parkway, struck an embankment, and ultimately crashed into a pond where it caught fire. Out of those onboard, ten individuals managed to escape the wreckage, but only five survived.

At that time, this incident represented the deadliest commercial aviation catastrophe in the United States; however, this record was eclipsed within a day by an Eastern Air Lines DC-4 accident near Baltimore that resulted in the loss of all 53 passengers and crew.

Investigation

The Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that pilot error was the primary cause of the crash, indicating: "The probable cause was either failure to disengage the gust lock prior to takeoff or the pilot’s choice to abort due to concerns arising from rapid acceleration on a relatively short runway under possibly calm wind conditions."

Nevertheless, an initial report published in The New York Times on May 31, 1947, proposed that an abrupt change in wind—what is currently identified as wind shear—likely influenced Captain Benton R. Baldwin’s decision to abort after utilizing approximately two-thirds of the available 3,500-foot runway. While both company representatives and Civil Aeronautics Board officials concurred on these details, they disagreed over whether the pilot had been forewarned about potential wind shifts before initiating takeoff.

External links

• Aviation Safety Network entry on this event
• Official Civil Aeronautics Board Report - PDF version