What happened
On November 1, 1949, Eastern Air Lines Flight 537, operating a DC-4 from Boston to Washington, was cleared by the control tower to enter a left traffic pattern for Runway 3. At nearly the same time, a P-38 piloted by a Bolivian national had taken off from the airport for a test flight intended for government acceptance. The P-38 pilot reported engine trouble and requested landing instructions, leading to a complex sequence of radio communications and maneuvering in the airspace around the field.
Despite multiple attempts by tower personnel to coordinate the traffic, including instructing the P-38 to hold position behind the DC-4, the two aircraft failed to maintain safe separation. The collision occurred at an altitude of approximately 300 feet, about half a mile southwest of Runway 3. The impact resulted in the destruction of the DC-4 and the death of all 55 occupants on board, including two U.S. politicians. The P-38 pilot survived the crash.
Findings
The investigation highlighted significant discrepancies between the accounts provided by the P-38 pilot and the control tower staff regarding the sequence of events and specific instructions given. While the tower acknowledged a lack of requisite alertness in communicating the P-38's position to the Eastern flight, this factor was not deemed a primary contributor to the accident.
The official determination concluded that the crash resulted from the P-38 pilot executing a straight-in final approach without obtaining proper clearance and failing to maintain adequate vigilance for other aircraft in the vicinity.