TWA Flight 529
N86511, the aircraft involved in the accident, in October 1957 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 1, 1961 |
| Summary | Mechanical failure leading to loss of control |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-049 Constellation |
| Aircraft name | Star of Paris |
| Operator | TWA |
| Call sign | TWA 529 |
| Registration | N86511 |
| Flight origin | Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts |
| 1st stopover | LaGuardia Airport, New York City, New York |
| 2nd stopover | Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Moon Township, Pennsylvania |
| 3rd stopover | Midway Airport, Chicago, Illinois |
| 4th stopover | McCarran Field, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Destination | Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California |
| Occupants | 78 |
| Passengers | 73 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 78 |
| Survivors | 0 |
TWA Flight 529 was a Lockheed Constellation L-049 propliner, registration N86511, operating as a scheduled passenger service from Boston, Massachusetts to Los Angeles, California. On September 1, 1961, at 02:05 CDT, the flight crashed into a field south of Clarendon Hills, Illinois shortly after takeoff from Midway Airport (ICAO: KMDW) in Chicago, killing all 73 passengers and five crew on board; it was at the time the deadliest single plane disaster in U.S. history.
The accident was investigated by the Civil Aeronautics Board, which concluded its probable cause was the loss of a 5/16 inch bolt which fell out of the elevator control mechanism during the climb from Chicago, resulting in an abrupt pitch up followed by a stall and crash.