CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT
EASTERN AIR LINES - NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 30, 1945
The Accident
Eastern Air Lines' Flight 14, attempting to land at La Guardia Field, New York, N. Y., at 2113, EST,[1] December 30, 1945, was unable to stop within the boundary of the airport, crashed through a localizer building located at the end of the runway and came to rest in Flushing Bay. Twelve of the occupants sustained minor injuries, one was injured seriously and one passenger was drowned. The Douglas DC-3 was extensively damaged.
History of the Flight
Flight 14 departed Jacksonville, Florida, for New York, N. Y., 1209, December 30, 1945, with scheduled stops at Savannah, Ga., Columbia, S. C., Raleigh, N. C., and Richmond, Va. The original schedule included a landing at Washington, D. C., but that stop was not made because weather conditions at Washington were below the authorized instrument minimums for that station. After "holding" at Doncaster, Md., for 45 minutes in anticipation of a landing at Washington, the flight proceeded to Philadelphia, Pa., and landed at Philadelphia at 1938.
Because of heavy traffic into New York the flight was delayed at Philadelphia for approximately 30 minutes. Departure was made at 2025 and at that time no further traffic delay was expected. The flight proceeded northeast to the Metuchen Fan Marker and after having reported over Metuchen was advised to contact La Guardia Approach Control. Approach Control cleared
- ↑ All time referred to in this report is Eastern Standard and based on the 24-hour clock.
