L-188A Electra, Eastern Flight 375
Eastern Air Lines, reg. N5533, c. 1960

Lockheed L-188A Electra, Eastern Air Lines, Tail Number N5533, c. 1960
(Minicraft kit #14444 ©1997 [Original tooling])

On Tuesday, October 4, 1960, an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-188A Electra, N5533, crashed into Winthrop Bay immediately following takeoff from runway 9 at Boston-Logan Airport, Massachusetts.

The flight taxied to runway 9 where takeoff was commenced at approximately 17:39. A few seconds after taking off from runway 05, the Electra struck a flock of starlings. A number of these birds were ingested in engine no.1, 2 and 4.

The engine number 1 propeller was feathered by an autofeather system, as designed. Engine number 2 and 4 experienced substantial losses of power, but, by design, those propellers were prevented by the airplane’s system from also feathering automatically, since only one propeller is permitted to autofeather when the autofeather system is armed. The abrupt and intermittent loss and recovery of power and associated thrust asymmetry caused the airplane to yaw to the left and decelerate below the speed at which directional control could be maintained. The left wing dropped, the nose pitched up, and the airplane rolled left and fell almost vertically into Winthrop Bay near the end of the runway.

Following the crash, the investigators recovered approximately 75 starling carcasses on/near the presumed area on the runway where the bird encounter occurred.

62 of 72 on board were killed in the accident; ten survived, nine with serious injuries.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The unique and critical sequence of the loss and recovery of engine power following bird ingestion, resulting in loss of airspeed and control during takeoff. "

Paints are WalMart rattlecan and Alclad II metallics. Kit decals with some enhancements (Windshield, N-number, wing walks) printed at home.