What happened
On the night of the accident, a Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation, registered N6917C, was preparing for a cargo flight from Miami International Airport to Venezuela. The aircraft's hold was heavily loaded with Christmas trees, which occupied the main cabin as well as the forward and aft belly compartments. The departure process was delayed because the flight engineer discovered that the aircraft batteries were missing; once new batteries were acquired, charged, and installed, the crew began their pre-flight procedures.
After experiencing difficulties starting the engines, the crew received taxi clearance to runway 0<0xE2><0x80><0x89>9L. During the taxiing process, the crew requested to return to the ramp to seek assistance with a crew compartment door that would not close properly. Following this delay, the aircraft was cleared to taxi back to the runway and initiated a rolling takeoff at 23:51.
As the aircraft reached approximately 4,800 feet from the start of the runway, air traffic controllers observed the plane lift off abruptly with an extreme nose-high pitch of 20 to 30 degrees. The aircraft reached a maximum altitude of roughly 100 to 120 feet before descending rapidly. During the descent, the plane struck high-tension wires and a tree before crashing into a parking lot. The subsequent impact with several residential houses resulted in six fatalities on the ground. The three crew members on board were also killed.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the aircraft experienced an over-rotation during lift-off, which placed it in an aerodynamic state near a stall at an altitude too low for recovery. While the specific reason for the initial rotation could not be determined, investigators noted several contributing factors. These included improper cargo loading, a potential shift of the center of gravity due to unsecured cargo moving rearward, and insufficient coordination among the crew.