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On October 4th 1960, an Eastern Airlines propeller driven Lockheed L-188 Electra crashed into the
sea while attempting to take off from Logan Airport. 62 people tragically lost their lives. 9 people survived, incurring serious injuries. The accident was caused by the ingestion of starlings
into the four engines, which stalled them. At take-off, the aircraft
became airborne as normal, but a flock of starlings abruptly flew into
the path of the plane. The Electra rolled left from an altitude of
about 300 feet, and crashed almost vertically into the shallow water just
north of the runway.
A swift rescue effort was launched by local emergency response people. Boats
searched for survivors, and divers were quickly dispatched in a recovery
operation. The tide was low that afternoon, and no wreckage was
visible above the surface of the water. The impact of the crash broke
up the plane and embedded the pieces into the mud of the shallow flats.
Nearby residents assisted in the initial rescue effort. A disturbing
aspect of the accident was that the plane was not visible on the surface of
the water. The seats in the aircraft were quite buoyant, and many
people died while still strapped in their seats, which floated upside down to the
surface of the water.
This author would like to honor the memory of those who lost their lives
that day, and also honor the effort of the many rescue workers. A
Boston Police Officer that responded early in this emergency was a positive
role model to many people in the local neighborhood adjacent to the airport. This officer had later given this author as a child a 1960's Boston Police
patch, and many thanks is given to all police officers, firefighters, and
emergency response people who diligently work to protect us all. In 1960, as well as today.
This event still stands as the worst accident in airline history caused by a
bird-strike. Some of the good results of the Electra crash were minimum
ingestion standards for propeller driven aircraft, and the start of
comprehensive and standardized airport wildlife management plans.
The public was fascinated with air travel in the 1950's, and even more
so after introduction of the revolutionary Boeing 707 passenger jet in 1958. Public uneasiness about the fantastic growth in air travel at that time
was reflected in films such as Back from Eternity, The High and the Mighty,
and The
Mountain.
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