Draft:Eastern Air Lines Flight 611

Eastern Air Lines Flight 611

Accident
Date	February 7, 1948 (1948-02-07)
Summary	Propeller separation
Site	Over the Atlantic, 156 mi off Brunswick, Georgia, United States
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Lockheed L-649 Constellation
Operator	Eastern Air Lines
Registration	NC112A
Flight origin	Boston Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1st stopover	LaGuardia Airport, New York, United States
Last stopover	West Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
Destination	Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, United States
Passengers	63, or 66
Crew	6
Fatalities	1
Survivors	68, or 71

Eastern Air Lines Flight 611 was a domestic scheduled flight from Boston Logan International Airport to Miami International Airport, along with stopovers at LaGuardia Airport and West Palm Beach International Airport. On February 7, 1948, the Lockheed L-649 Constellation operating the route suffered an in-flight propeller blade detachment in the Atlantic. The pilots safely landed at Flagler County Airport. A crew member was killed when the blade cut through the floor of the aircraft. Some passengers were also slightly injured in the emergency evacuation.

Aircraft

The aircraft was a Lockheed L-649 Constellation, registered as NC112A, manufacturer serial number (MSN) 2533. It was certificated by the time of the accident. Eastern Air Lines purchased it new on July 30, 1947. It was powered by four Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engines. By the time of the accident, its airframe had logged 1,522 flight hours.

Crew

There were six crew members on board.

The captain was W. E. Johnson (33). He held effective airline pilot ratings. He had logged 8,150 flight hours, including 254 on the Constellation. He was employed in 1939.

Joining the captain on board was first officer R. G. Burstrom (26). He had an airman certificate along with commercial pilot ratings, which were effective. He had accumulated 1,971 flight hours, including 322 hours on the Constellation. He was hired in 1946.

The check pilot on board was H. T. Merrill (51). He held effective air transport ratings. Having flown since 1928, he had logged a total of 20,700 flight hours. He was occupying the left seat on the flight.

The flight engineer was N. H. Turner (30). He had a flight engineer certificate. He was hired in 1947.

The flight attendants were W. J. Hoy (23) and G. P. Folz (27).

All of the cockpit crew attended Eastern Air Lines' Constellation Transition School.

Accident

The initial flight was routine. At LaGuardia, the crew filed an instrument flight plan, which was approved. All crew members and passengers boarded the Constellation. According to the report by the Civil Aeronautic Boards, 63 passengers were on board the flight, but according to a book, 66 passengers were on board. The aircraft took off at 10:09 (EST) after a 19-minute delay. The pilots were instructed to climb to their cruising altitude of 20,000 ft (6,096 m). The flight was uneventful, and the pilots reported their positions to air traffic control en route.

At 12:51 (EST), the crew members requested permission to climb to 22,000 ft (6,705 m). The air traffic controller then granted permission to climb to 22,000 ft at 12:53, two minutes later.

At about 13:09 (EST), propeller blades belonging to the third engine separated. The detachment threw a part of a blade at the fuselage. The blade entered the galley section, fatally injuring flight attendant G. P. Folz, who was preparing lunch at the time. The blade then severed multiple control cables, electric wires, and engine controls. The cockpit was fogged due to the depressurization that came after the detachment. In the L-649, heavy vibration was felt by the occupants. The pilots found the flight instruments either inoperative or impossible to read. Captain W. E. Johnson recalled:

One of the blades went completely through the galley and out the other side. As it passed through, it cut electrical wiring, all trim control cables and cables controlling the hydraulic system. It also struck the galley flight attendant, Gilbert Folz, killing him instantly. It then went through the left side of the plane and fell into the sea. I was able to get off a brief radio call saying we were in trouble and descending. Then the radio went dead.

The crew reduced power and started rapidly descending. The pilots attempted to feather the third engine, and they were preparing for a ditching. A minute or two after the detachment of the propellers, the cowling of the engine fell to the sea. A fire then started in the nacelle of the third engine, but it was quickly extinguished by itself.

Eastern Air Lines' ground station at Jacksonville, Florida was notified of the current ongoing emergency on board Flight 611 in three messages. The first message indicated that the pilots were feeling heavy vibrations, and they were flying for the coast of Florida. The second message showed that there was a loss of power, and there was also damage to the fuselage. The third message indicated that preparations for ditching were being made.

At 13:12, the failure of electrical power meant that the aircraft was unable to transmit any messages. Despite this, the last transmission was made at 13:20, about the explosion of an engine, which meant that the aircraft had to ditch. The American Coast Guard was notified, and a search was performed by twelve planes, four cutters, and a patrol chaser. Two army B-17s also participated in the search for the Constellation.