Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-21
II Die in Crash
OF Air|iner at
Jacksonville
Plane Wus En- Route
To Boston by Way Of
D. c. and New York

u. 4. and New York
JACKSONVILLE. Fla. Dec
81 R.-An Eastern Air Lines
Constellation crashed and burn
ed on its landing run early today
killing all II persons aboard.
The plane, fight 642, was er
route from Miami to Boston, by
way of Washington and New
York.
None of the victims was from
the Washington area.
The airliner was only a quarter
of a mile from the end of its rum
way at the airport when 1t APP
parently came in too low, hit
several trees in the early morn
ing darkness and plunged to the
ground.
Third in State in 8 Days
1t was the third air crash II
Florida in three days.
Monday, two Air Force bomb
ers crashed over the outskirts
of Tampa midway down the Gull
of Mexico coast, killing eight
men. A few hours later an Air
Force jet and a bomber collidec
over Port st. Joe. 200 miles ur
the Gulf Coast, killing three men
and leaving three missing.
The CONSULTATIONS passengers
apparently never had time to try
to escape, for the cabin was
twisted and smashed, trapping
all inside.
Five OF the dead were crew
members.
On the plane also was the
body of c. B. Thrift of Miami,
an Eastern Ali Lines Accounting
Department employe, being ship
ped to Washington for burial.
The 4T-year-old war veteran had
died Saturday of a heart attack.
Bodies Badly Burned
Sixteen of the bodies were
badly burned. It was three
hours after the crash. which oc-
Cured at $40 am, before fire.
men could remove them from
the flaming wreckage.
Witnesses said the plane ap-
peared to be in no trouble as it
started on its landing run at the
airport IL miles north of Jack
sonville.
The last word from the pilot.
Capt. Tom McBrien, was that
he was coming in for a landing.
The airport said visibility was
half a mile, the ceiling 800 feet,
and that the plane was making
an instrument landing system
approach.
Leroy Connell. a boilermaker.
was drinking coffee when he
looked out a window OF his home
In the thinly-wooded. sparsely-
settled area.
Saw Lights Go On
81 saw the landing lights go
on, then there was a sound--it
might have been an explosion
or the sound the plane made as
1t hit the tops of the trees" he
said.
1.-THE big ship fell but there
wasn't any fire until it hit the
ground"
William Hess, a foundry work.
er. was in the yard of his home
when he heard the plane coming
In and looked up.
ut appeared to hit the top OF
some pine trees only about SO
feet from where I was standing. .
he said. 1T sounded like 1t was
In good mechanical condition,
but 1t seemed just to come in
too low. 1t hit the top of the
trees, hit the dirt. then burst
into flames. I took off for help
Wings Sheared OFF
Wreckage was strewn along a
path of about 200 yards. The
wings were sheared of and the
four engines hurled from their
moorings.
Small blazes started up In the
dry woodland and fire-fighters
had difficulty approaching the
wreckage.
The cabin appeared to have
been ripped open, then mashed
into a sort of disjointed oblong
shape. A small part Of the after
cabin broke off and remained
practically intact except for a
split along the top.
One big pine tree was snapped
and 1t lay across the rear of the
cabin wreckage, still smoking as
firemen began removing the
bodies.
The main part of the wreck.
age was only a short distance
from one of the few houses II
the area, just across highway II
which leads past the airport.
A chicken coop some distanc,
Cnrafinrnd N. NJ nl !,