TWA Flight 529
Cari Aiken | aiken.cari@gmail.com
Hinsdale, Illinois
September 1, 1961
September 1, 1961
FLIGHT INFORMATION
TWA Flight 529 was a Lockheed Constellation L-049 propliner, registration N86511, operating as a scheduled passenger service from Boston, Massachusetts to San Francisco, California. On September 1, 1961, at 2:05 a.m. local time, the flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Midway Airport in Chicago, killing all 73 passengers and 5 crew on board. At the time it was the deadliest single plane disaster in U.S. history.
The four-engine propliner originated in Boston, and after making intermediate stops in New York and Pittsburgh, arrived at Chicago Midway Airport at 1:18 a.m. CST where a new crew took over, and fuel and oil were added. At 2:00 a.m. the flight departed from runway 22, bound for Las Vegas, Nevada, the next stop. Five minutes later, while climbing westbound to 5,000 ft, the aircraft suddenly pitched violently upwards, resulting in an accelerated stall from which the crew was unable to recover. The aircraft crashed into a cornfield, and left a debris field of 200 by 1,100 feet.
The accident was investigated by the Civil Aeronautics Board, which concluded its probable cause was the loss of a 5/16 inch bolt which fell out of the elevator control mechanism during the climb from Chicago, resulting in an abrupt pitch up followed by a stall and crash.
TWA Flight 529 was a Lockheed Constellation L-049 propliner, registration N86511, operating as a scheduled passenger service from Boston, Massachusetts to San Francisco, California. On September 1, 1961, at 2:05 a.m. local time, the flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Midway Airport in Chicago, killing all 73 passengers and 5 crew on board. At the time it was the deadliest single plane disaster in U.S. history.
The four-engine propliner originated in Boston, and after making intermediate stops in New York and Pittsburgh, arrived at Chicago Midway Airport at 1:18 a.m. CST where a new crew took over, and fuel and oil were added. At 2:00 a.m. the flight departed from runway 22, bound for Las Vegas, Nevada, the next stop. Five minutes later, while climbing westbound to 5,000 ft, the aircraft suddenly pitched violently upwards, resulting in an accelerated stall from which the crew was unable to recover. The aircraft crashed into a cornfield, and left a debris field of 200 by 1,100 feet.
The accident was investigated by the Civil Aeronautics Board, which concluded its probable cause was the loss of a 5/16 inch bolt which fell out of the elevator control mechanism during the climb from Chicago, resulting in an abrupt pitch up followed by a stall and crash.
PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT
I became interested in the history of this flight while doing research on my family tree. My uncle was a passenger on this plane, and I was looking for some information online when I came across a website listing several articles about this tragedy. Even though I had heard all my life about my uncle having died in a plane crash, I never knew the story behind it, or how many other passengers were on the plane. After reading the articles and seeing the names of the 78 people lost on this flight, I wanted to do something to honor them. I wanted to tell their stories, and keep their memories alive.
In so doing, I have created this page to share their stories. If you are a family member or friend of one of the passengers, and would like to share stories or photographs of your loved one, please contact me. I will gladly post any and all information you are willing to provide. I will give credit where it is due for all articles, photographs and stories.
I have also created a 'virtual cemetery' on Find A Grave (www.findagrave.com) for as many of the passengers as I have been able to find. Some already had memorials entered on the site, but if they did not, I have created them when I am able to locate their burial information online. If you would like to have a memorial for your loved one included there, please let me know. I can assist you in creating it or I can enter the memorial for you and transfer ownership to you once it is entered. After their memorial is done, I will add it to the virtual cemetery.
This project is about honoring and remembering those lost on this flight as they returned to their homes from vacations, flew to be with family members who were ill, or were simply doing their jobs as crew members. I hope you will honor them by reading their stories, looking at their pictures and relating to their lives.
I became interested in the history of this flight while doing research on my family tree. My uncle was a passenger on this plane, and I was looking for some information online when I came across a website listing several articles about this tragedy. Even though I had heard all my life about my uncle having died in a plane crash, I never knew the story behind it, or how many other passengers were on the plane. After reading the articles and seeing the names of the 78 people lost on this flight, I wanted to do something to honor them. I wanted to tell their stories, and keep their memories alive.
In so doing, I have created this page to share their stories. If you are a family member or friend of one of the passengers, and would like to share stories or photographs of your loved one, please contact me. I will gladly post any and all information you are willing to provide. I will give credit where it is due for all articles, photographs and stories.
I have also created a 'virtual cemetery' on Find A Grave (www.findagrave.com) for as many of the passengers as I have been able to find. Some already had memorials entered on the site, but if they did not, I have created them when I am able to locate their burial information online. If you would like to have a memorial for your loved one included there, please let me know. I can assist you in creating it or I can enter the memorial for you and transfer ownership to you once it is entered. After their memorial is done, I will add it to the virtual cemetery.
This project is about honoring and remembering those lost on this flight as they returned to their homes from vacations, flew to be with family members who were ill, or were simply doing their jobs as crew members. I hope you will honor them by reading their stories, looking at their pictures and relating to their lives.
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