Eastern Air Lines Flight 537
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 1, 1949 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site | |
| Total fatalities | 55 |
| Total injuries | 1 |
| Total survivors | 1 |
| First aircraft | |
| An Eastern Air Lines Douglas DC-4, similar to the one involved in the crash | |
| Type | Douglas DC-4 |
| Operator | Eastern Air Lines |
| Call sign | EASTERN 537 |
| Registration | N88727 |
| Flight origin | LaGuardia Airport, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Destination | Washington-National Airport, Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupants | 55 |
| Passengers | 51 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 55 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
| A Lockheed P-38L Lightning, the type involved in the crash | |
| Type | Lockheed P-38L Lightning |
| Operator | Lockheed |
| Call sign | BOLIVIAN 927 |
| Registration | NX-26927 |
| Occupants | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
Eastern Air Lines Flight 537, registration N88727, was a Douglas DC-4 aircraft en route from Boston, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C., via intermediate points on November 1, 1949. A Lockheed P-38 Lightning, registered NX-26927, was being test-flown for acceptance by the government of Bolivia by Erick Rios Bridoux of the Bolivian Air Force. The two aircraft collided in mid-air at an altitude of 300 feet (91 m) about one-half mile (0.80 km) southwest of the threshold of Runway 3 (present-day Runway 4) at Washington National Airport, killing all 55 aboard the DC-4 and seriously injuring the pilot of the P-38. At the time, it was the deadliest airliner incident in United States history.