American Airlines Flight 1 Crash Site

 place with historical importance, aircraft, crash site, historical layer / disappeared object

At 0954hrs on March 1st, 1962, American Airlines Flight #1 pushed back from its gate at New York International Airport to begin its regularly scheduled direct flight to Los Angeles with 87 passengers and 8 crew aboard. Cleared for takeoff from Runway 31L eight minutes later, the Boeing 707-123 registered as N7506A began its takeoff roll and became airborne at 1007hrs, making a standard left turn as it climbed into the standard departure pattern routing.

Slightly over a minute after becoming airborne and beginning its turn, a serious malfunction occurred in the 707's rudder control system which caused an un-commanded maximum rudder deflection to the left, rolling the aircraft onto its side. Having climbed to barely 2,000ft and moving at a speed of approximately 230 knots, Flight 1's crew had little time to react before the aircraft rolled completely over and began a near-vertical and full-powered dive towards the ground.

Impacting Jamaica Bay at this location in the Pumpkin Patch Channel at 1008hrs with enough force to register on seismographs at Fordham University in the Bronx, Flight 1 disappeared in a geyser of water and smoke which soon burst into flames as the aircraft's fuel load ignited. Though FDNY, NYPD, US Coast Guard and airport rescue apparatus arrived on the crash site within minutes, none of the passengers or crew aboard Flight 1 survived the crash, making the crash of American Airlines Flight #1 the nations deadliest at the time.

Investigations carried out by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to determine the cause of the crash failed to conclusively determine what had caused the sudden loss of control to the 707’s rudder, however, the malfunction of a rudder servo due improperly installed wiring was labeled as being the most likely culprit.

DOT/Civil Aviation Board Report
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