What happened
On the evening of November 15, 1961, an aircraft accident involving two commercial planes took place at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. The incident occurred around 17:10 local time, roughly 47 minutes after sunset. A National Airlines DC-6B, registered as N8228H, was beginning its takeoff roll on runway 09. Simultaneously, a Northeast Airlines Viscount, registration N6592C, was in the process of its landing roll on runway 04R.
The National Airlines flight had departed from Boston and was scheduled to travel to Norfolk, Virginia, via five intermediate stops. The Northeast Airlines flight arrived from Washington, D.C., with a prior stop at LaGuardia Airport.
The collision resulted in significant damage to both aircraft. While there were no serious injuries reported among the crew or passengers of the DC-6B, the accident caused four minor injuries to passengers on the Viscount, who sustained small cuts and abrasions while exiting the plane.
Findings
Investigations into the collision determined that the primary cause was the commencement of takeoff by National Airlines Flight 429 without receiving proper clearance. Additionally, investigators noted that tower personnel failed to maintain sufficient surveillance of the active runways and did not issue a warning to the National Airlines pilot regarding the potential conflict with the arriving aircraft.