National Aviation 2511 is a domestic passenger flight from New York City, New York to Miami, Florida that exploded in the air on January 6, 1960. The national carrier Douglas DC-6 carrying five crew members and 29 passengers , all dead. The Civil Aviation Council investigation concluded that the plane was dropped by a dynamite bomb. No criminal prosecution has ever been filed, nor is it blamed for the ever-determined bombing, despite the alleged suicide bombings. Investigations remain open today.
One of the victims was a retired US Navy Admiral Edward Orrick McDonnell, recipient of the Medal of Honor and a veteran of the Second World War.
Video National Airlines Flight 2511
Flight history
The New York-Miami route from National Airlines is usually flown by Boeing 707 as Flight 601. On January 5, 1960, the 707 plane scheduled to fly to Miami was paralyzed for cracks found on the cockpit windshield. The windshield replacement procedure will take eight hours to complete, so National Airlines moves Flight 601 passengers to two existing proplain planes in the reserve.
Passengers are boarded on these two replacement aircraft with the first base coming, first served. 76 passengers boarded Lockheed L-188 Electra. The plane flies to Miami and arrives safely.
29 other passengers boarded to Douglas DC-6B, departing from Idlewild Airport to Miami as Flight 2511. They were accompanied by two flight attendants, Dale Southard pilot, copilot R.L. Hentzel, and aviation engineer R.R. Halleckson. The plane departs New York on 11:52 p.m. and is scheduled to arrive in Miami on 4:36 AM on January 6th.
The aircraft, registration N8225H, is described in good condition. It has four Pratt and Whitney R-2800 CB-16 engines and has accumulated 24,836 hours of flight time.
2511 flight plan calls for flying south from New York to Wilmington, North Carolina, where it will continue south over the Atlantic Ocean. It will fly southward 550 miles (890 km) above the sea to Palm Beach, Florida. The crew maintains radio contact with National Airlines radio controllers and air traffic controls, reporting on the condition of clouds and flying instruments. The crew checked in with Wilmington Airport on 02:07 AM , and then reportedly flew over Carolina Beach radio beacons at 2:31 am. This is the last radio contact with an airplane.
Maps National Airlines Flight 2511
Aftermath
After losing contact with the DC-6 aircraft, National Airlines, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the US Navy began an intensive search along the southeast coast of the United States. The search was canceled the next day, when National Airlines received word that there was a plane in North Carolina.
About 2:45 am. , a farmer by the name of Richard Randolph hears engine sounds cut in and out, followed by metal ripping and explosion. Later that morning, after finding the wreckage of a plane in one of his fields, he went to Bolivia, North Carolina, which had the nearest phone. He called Wilmington Airport to report the plane that crashed at about 7:00 am. When the Highway Patrol officer responded, he took them to the crash site.
Bodies and debris scattered over an area of ​​20 acres (0,081 km 2 ) include farm fields, swamps, and pine forests.
During the first day of search and rescue, investigators were able to find 32 bodies from 34 people inside. One of the missing bodies was later found at the crash site. The remaining bodies were found in Snow's Marsh, about 16 miles (26 km) from the main site.
Initial reports speculated that the plane had been destroyed by mid-flight. One newspaper reporter indicated that the largest piece of debris he had observed was part of the wing. An aluminum fragment, believed to be part of the plane's skin, is found in Kure Beach, 25 miles (40 km) from the rest of the wreckage.
Investigation
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), part of the Transportation Department, was the principal investigator in the Flight accidents of 2511. The DC-6 debris was taken to a hangar at nearby Wilmington Airport, where the plane was reassembled on wooden and chicken wire frames. The researchers found approximately 90% of the fuselage, which was then mounted on a frame in the Wilmington hangar.
Researchers were able to identify the point of origin of disintegration as an area right in front of the right wing of the aircraft. Materials taken from Kure Beach, including part of the wing fillet, are from this common area. Researchers can not recover material from an irregular triangular area placed over the leading edge and extend forward in front of the wing.
The corpse was taken to the local high school gymnasium to wait for an autopsy and identification by the FBI's fingerprint team. The Brunswick County coroner ordered the autopsy of the passengers and crew to determine the specific cause of death for each. One of the victims was Vice Admiral Edward Orrick McDonnell, US Navy (retired), Medal of Honor recipient and a veteran of both World Wars. Other victims included Vice President of Continental Bank of Cuba, a pharmacist, a student at the University of Miami, and an insurance adjuster. Three of the victims were passenger standby and only did the flight because someone else canceled their reservation.
Julian Frank
The only corpse not found at the crash site was the home of Julian Frank, a New York City lawyer. His body was found from Snow's Marsh, located on the west side of Cape Fear River. Frank's body suffered significant injuries, including the cutting of both legs, and debris embedded in his body. The Frank injury is significantly different from and far wider than the other passengers. In addition, Frank's wounds are not consistent with the types of injuries that usually occur in aircraft accidents.
Frank was autopsied twice, the second time to recover the debris embedded in his body. An autopsy reveals that its lower limb has been torn down; his muscle tissue is extensively mutilated and torn; small pieces of wire, brass, and other items including hat ornaments embedded in various limbs; the fingers of his right hand are cracked and his bones are broken; and the distal phalang of each finger in his left hand disappeared. The coroner also observed many black-colored areas, similar to a close-range shot residue. Four human finger bones are found among the ruins at the primary crash site.
At the time of the accident, Frank was accused of charity fraud and is being investigated by the Manhattan district prosecutor's office. It is alleged that he has abused up to a million dollars in a series of scams.
The National Aviation Flight crash of 2511 occurred shortly after another National Airlines plane crash. National Airlines Flight 967 exploded over the Gulf of Mexico on November 16, 1959. The cause of the explosion was believed to be a bomb in the luggage of one of the passengers. Robert Spears, who asked for a replacement to board the plane in its place. Spears is heavily insured, and the FBI shows that his motive is insurance fraud. Similarly, Julian Frank is protected by nearly $ 900,000 in life insurance policies, including some who bought the day of the accident.
CAB sends the restored material from Frank's body to the FBI lab for testing and analysis. The analysis determined that many pieces of wire found embedded in Frank's body, in the seat on the right side, and on the carpet, were low carbon steel wire, 0.025 inches (0.64 mm) in diameter. One of the cut fingers recovered from the wreckage embedded in the face plate of the travel alarm clock. A life jacket from Kure Beach, found with parts of the handbag embedded in it, tested positive for nitrate residues. The "crust" black residue in Frank's right hand is found as manganese dioxide, a substance found in dry cell batteries.
In addition to the evidence collected from Frank's body, there are also residual samples taken from air vents and hat shelves located on the right side of the aircraft near the leading edge of the wing. These samples contain sodium carbonate, sodium nitrate, and a mixture of sodium-sulfur compounds.
The Civil Aviation Council concluded that the severity of Frank's wounds and the number of particles found on his body could only be attributed to his proximity to the explosion. Furthermore, the chemical compounds detected in the area around the origin of the explosion are consistent with those generated by the dynamite explosion. Manganese dioxide samples collected from the seats near the focal point and from Frank's body indicate that dry cell batteries are located very close to the explosives. CAB determines that, based on the explosive pattern, the dynamite charge has been placed under the window seat of line 7.
CAB's chief investigator, Oscar Bakke, testified before the Senate Aviation subcommittee for this effect on January 12, 1960. On the same day, the FBI formally took over the criminal aspects of the investigation.
Other theories
One of the first theories considered by investigators is that Flight 2511 was involved in a collision with another plane, given the distance of the crash site to Wilmington Airport. Researchers review flight plans and other documents to determine whether there are other planes in the area. No record of any other aircraft, or missed military missiles. Furthermore, the 2511 Flight ruins are limited to two common locations: the main crash site near Bolivia and the secondary scene at Kure Beach. All debris is recorded as belonging to DC-6.
Another theory conveyed by an expert shortly after the accident theorized that an engine fire could be the catalyst of the accident. Under this theory, one of the two machines on the right wing may have been burned. Shrapnel from the machine may have pierced the fuselage, causing an explosive decompression. Or, Julian Frank, who is known to be very afraid of flying, may panic and hit a window, weaken it so that it eventually explodes. Under this theory, pilots and passengers will be aware of an emergency on board, which will allow them to start making preparations for an emergency landing. This theory is supported by a wide right turn that appears to be made by the aircraft before it crumbles and crashes, as well as the fact that some passengers are found wearing a life jacket.
Although the theory of bombing and fire engines is the most commonly held, other theories are advanced during the investigation as well. A few days after the explosion, National Airlines pilots who were members of the Airline Pilots Association telegram to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In telegram, they make claims that the pilot's flight skill routine causes unnecessary pressure on the aircraft. This test flight, piloted every six months, requires pilots to place their aircraft through "violent maneuvers" that could damage the aircraft.
In their final report, the Council of Civil Aviation showed that they have investigated alternative theories, including:
- failure of the cabin metal fatigue causing explosive decompression
- the blades propeller failed, striking, and damaging the cabin
- damage in the cabin pressure system causing structural failure
- a foreign object that hit the plane and pierced the cabin
- lightning strike
- fuel steam explosion
- explosion of oxygen bottle
CAB, however, was able to rule out each of these theories during their investigation.
Conclusion
The Civil Aeronautics Board concluded that Flight 2511 was dropped by dynamite explosions in the passenger cabin. The pile of explosives was located "under the right row of the front row seat No. 7." The report also showed that Julian Frank was close to the explosion, though that did not blame him.
The explosion occurred at about 2:33 am. , significantly damaging the structural integrity of the aircraft and forcing it to be a wide right turn. When it descends, it undergoes disintegration in the plane and falls on 2:38 am.
CAB concluded in their final report:
No reference has been made to this report regarding the placement of dynamite on the plane or the person or person responsible for its blasting. The destruction of dangerous aircraft is a Federal crime. After the Board's determination that is involved, the criminal aspects of this accident are referred to the Department of Justice through the Federal Bureau of Investigation....
The Council determined that the probable cause of this accident was the dynamite blasting inside the passenger cabin. - Aeronautical Files of the Civil Council No. 1-0002, pp. 1.12
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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