Incident Overview
On November 15, 1961, at approximately 1710 local time, 47 minutes after sunset, a ground collision occurred at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. The aircraft involved were a National Airlines Douglas DC-6B, registration N8228H, and a Northeast Airlines Vickers Viscount, registration N6592C. The DC-6B was operating as National Airlines Flight 429, originating from Boston with a destination of Norfolk, Virginia, and five intermediate stops. The Viscount was operating as Northeast Airlines Flight 120, originating from Washington, D.C., with a destination of Boston and an intermediate stop at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Sequence of Events
National Airlines Flight 429 was attempting a takeoff on runway 09. Simultaneously, Northeast Airlines Flight 120 was performing its landing roll on runway 04R. The two aircraft collided on the ground. There were no serious injuries among the crew or passengers of the DC-6. Four passengers on the Viscount received minor cuts and abrasions while deplaning. Both aircraft sustained major damage.
Probable Cause
The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the commencement of takeoff by National 429 without clearance. Contributing factors included the failure of tower personnel to provide adequate surveillance of the active runways and to issue an appropriate warning message to the pilot of National 429 alerting him to the impending traffic conflict.
Recommendations
As a result of this accident, the Board recommended to the Federal Aviation Agency that consideration be given to requiring that all restrictive clearances or instructions issued by air traffic control be acknowledged by pilot repetition.