1961 Imperial Airlines Lockheed L-49 Crash at Richmond (N2737A)

Accident Overview and Casualties On November 8, 1961, at 2124 e.s.t., an Imperial Airlines Lockheed L-49 crashed and burned while attempting to land at Byrd Field in Richmond, Virginia. The aircraft was en route from Baltimore, Maryland, to Columbia, South Carolina. Seventy-four passengers and three flight crew members died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Two flight crew members escaped from the burning wreckage, and the aircraft was totally destroyed. ## Sequence of Events In the vicinity of Richmond, the crew allowed the No. 4 fuel tank to run dry due to fuel mismanagement, which caused the Nos. 3 and 4 engines to stop. Unable to restart those engines, the crew feathered the propellers and elected to land at Richmond. As the aircraft approached the airport, Captain Greenlee, who was acting as copilot, turned the aircraft to attempt a landing on runway 02 without warning the captain in command and placed the landing gear selector in the down position. The landing gear did not extend because of crew mismanagement of the hydraulic system. A go-around was then attempted with only the Nos. 1 and 2 engines operating. During the poorly executed go-around, the No. 1 engine failed as a result of overboosting. With only one engine remaining in operation, it was impossible to maintain flight. The crew also misjudged the aircraft flight path, overshot the extended centerline of runway 33, and crashed one-half mile to the left of the final approach path and one mile from the runway threshold.