What happened
On November 14, an Eastern Air Lines flight operating a scheduled route from New York City to Massena, New York, completed several intermediate stops at Albany, Plattsburg, and Malone. After departing Malone at 1510, the Martin 404, registration N492A, climbed to approximately 2,500 feet. The flight crew proceeded toward its destination, with the captain supervising the flight from the left seat while the first officer handled takeoff and initial climb.
While positioned roughly eight miles east of Richards Field, the crew requested and received landing data for runway 4. The first officer began a rectangular left-hand pattern at an altitude of 1,200 feet. During the final approach, observers noted the aircraft appeared high before entering an unusually steep descent. As the plane reached the runway threshold, it transitioned into a flare attitude, but the vertical speed remained too high.
The N492A struck the runway surface with significant force, causing the right engine to separate from the airframe. The aircraft bounced off the pavement and continued to roll forward, exiting the runway to the right and crossing a taxiway. During this sequence, the left engine also detached, resulting in a small fire near the nacelle. There were 0 fatalities and 0 injuries as all passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft successfully.
Findings
Investigation into the accident revealed that the primary cause was the captain's improper technique during the final approach, which led to an excessive nose-down attitude and a high rate of descent. Specific contributing factors included:
- The pilot in command took control of the aircraft while it was positioned higher and closer to the airport than is standard.
- During the transition to the base leg, the aircraft drifted too close to the airfield.
- Although the crew attempted a flare, the remaining altitude was insufficient to recover the necessary speed for a smooth touchdown.
- Company training protocols at the time lacked specific instructions regarding critical limits for approach techniques.
- No mechanical failures or malfunctions were identified in the aircraft prior to the impact.