What happened
On the evening of December 8, 1963, a Boeing 707-121, registered as N709PA, departed from Friendship International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland. The flight was bound for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, operating under Instrument Flight Rules. The aircraft was carrying 73 passengers and a crew of eight.
At approximately 20:42, the flight passed over the New Castle, Delaware VOR and received instructions to enter a holding pattern at 5,000 feet. Shortly after 20:58, the crew issued two emergency distress calls. Following these transmissions, another pilot in the vicinity reported seeing the aircraft engulfed in flames. The plane impacted the ground two miles east of Elkton, Maryland, at 20:59. The impact, fire, and subsequent explosion resulted in 81 fatalities, with no survivors.
Findings
Investigations into the destruction of the aircraft determined that a lightning strike triggered the ignition of the fuel-air mixture within the number one reserve fuel tank. This event caused the left outer wing to undergo explosive disintegration, leading to a total loss of control.