There have been numerous terrible accidents in the history of the United States, one of which was an airplane crash in Brooklyn that claimed the lives of 134 people. Read more in the article at brooklyn-future.
Airliners collision
On December 16, 1960, a terrible airplane crash occurred near Brooklyn. An airliner crashed in the Park Slope neighborhood and exploded. The second fell to the ground in Staten Island.
The terrible plane catastrophe occurred on Christmas Eve. According to eyewitnesses, the sky was cloudy that day. Locals noticed that one of the planes was flying extremely low. It was supposed to land at John F. Kennedy Airport. The second airliner was flying from Dayton. Shortly before the plane was supposed to land, the crew of the first airliner reported that the second navigation receiver was broken. It was hard for the pilots to navigate through space. At this time, the second plane was preparing to land. At that point, the dispatcher noticed an airplane approaching him. He attempted to warn the crew, hoping that he could avert a collision. However, in the 1960s, the instruments did not indicate altitude. The dispatcher assumed that the first plane was a fighter jet from a nearby airbase and reported it on the air. The passenger aircraft was instructed to adjust course. Only the dispatcher was not informed of this maneuver by the ship’s commander. None of the pilots responded. In turn, the pilots of the other airline provided the dispatchers with incorrect coordinates. As a result, at 10.33 local time, the second plane collided with the first. As a result of the crash, the engines of the first aircraft broke through its fuselage. The damage to the second liner was huge. It immediately dropped to the ground. The second plane managed to continue flying despite having its wings engulfed in fire. By the way, the pilots miraculously avoided a catastrophic disaster because the plane could have fallen right on a school. However, one of the airliner’s wings collided with the church. Following that, a powerful explosion took place. The second wing caught the house, while the tail was at the intersection. The media reported that there may have been more victims in the disaster because there were two gas stations on the way of the liners, which luckily did not come into contact.
Terrible consequences
Ambulances and military helicopters immediately arrived at the scene of the tragedy to transport the injured. Only one passenger survived. This was an 11-year-old boy named Stephen Balz. The child was flying himself to New York to visit his family. He was meant to join them for Christmas. He survived because the liner broke apart and the child landed in a snowdrift after the impact. Without waiting for help, local residents attempted to save the boy whose clothes were on fire. Already in the hospital, the child recovered consciousness and was able to describe what caused the tragedy and how it occurred. Unfortunately, the boy died as a result of severe burns. His lungs were burned. The boy lived only one day. In addition to the passengers and crew members, the crash killed local civilians who were on the street at the time. The church caretaker and the store’s salesman were also killed in the accident. For several years, experts have been examining the catastrophe by studying the contents of black boxes. In a 1962 investigation, experts stated that one of the planes violated the permissible bounds when landing. As a result, the ship left the airspace designated to it. According to experts, the ship was traveling at too high a speed as it approached the airport. This resulted in a tragedy.
By the way, this is one of the largest plane crashes in both Brooklyn and the United States. After all, 134 Americans died as a result of the airplane collision and the fire on the ground. Together with the crews, there were 128 people on board the liners. Six local residents were killed in the fire that broke out after the aircraft crashed.
