On November 1, 1949, a collision in the skies over Washington D.C. marked a tragic day in aviation history. Fifty-five passengers aboard Eastern Air Lines Flight 537 lost their lives when their Douglas DC-4 collided with a military Lockheed P-38 Lightning. This devastating incident, which unfolded in the same airspace as the later 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 crash, became the deadliest airliner accident in America at the time.
The P-38 aircraft, piloted by a member of the Bolivian Air Force, was on a test flight as part of a sale agreement between the United States and Bolivia. Engine trouble plagued the pilot during the flight. In his struggle to manage the failing engine, he missed crucial warnings from air traffic control. The subsequent collision with the Eastern Air Lines plane resulted in catastrophic consequences.
Rescue operations commenced swiftly after the crash, revealing a grim scene. The bodies of victims were recovered from the Potomac River, many still strapped to their seats. It was a harrowing task for rescue teams. Meanwhile, the P-38 pilot survived, albeit injured, and was retrieved by a rescue boat launched from Bollin Air Force Base.
This disaster drew eerie parallels with the 1982 Air Florida Flight 90 crash, which occurred in the same vicinity. In that incident, over 80 people perished when the plane struck the 14th Street Bridge before sinking into the frigid waters of the Potomac River. Such chilling similarities between these two aviation tragedies have remained etched in the annals of American aviation history.
In 2023, another aviation disaster shook the nation when an American Airlines flight collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter in the same airspace. This incident claimed 67 lives, including 64 passengers aboard the airliner and three aboard the helicopter.
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