Eastern Air Lines Flight 304
A Douglas DC-8 of Eastern Air Lines, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 25, 1964 |
| Summary | Loss of control caused by pitch trim failure |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-8-21 |
| Operator | Eastern Air Lines |
| IATA flight No. | EA304 |
| ICAO flight No. | EAL304 |
| Call sign | EASTERN 304 |
| Registration | N8607 |
| Flight origin | Mexico City International Airport |
| 1st stopover | New Orleans International Airport |
| 2nd stopover | Atlanta International Airport |
| 3rd stopover | Dulles International Airport |
| Destination | John F. Kennedy International Airport |
| Occupants | 58 |
| Passengers | 51 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 58 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Eastern Air Lines Flight 304, was a scheduled flight between Mexico City International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport with intermediate stops at New Orleans International Airport, Atlanta International Airport, and Dulles International Airport. On February 25, 1964, the Douglas DC-8 performing the flight crashed into Lake Pontchartrain approximately 19 miles northeast of New Orleans International Airport. All fifty-one passengers and seven crew were killed. Among the dead were American singer and actor Kenneth Spencer and Marie-Hélène Lefaucheux, a women's and human rights activist and member of the French delegation to the United Nations.