American Airlines Flight 6780
An American Airlines CV-240 similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 22, 1952 |
| Summary | CFIT on approach for reasons unknown |
| Site | Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States 40°39′28″N 74°12′52″W / 40.6579°N 74.2144°W |
| Total fatalities | 30 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Convair CV-240-0 |
| Aircraft name | Flagship New Haven |
| Operator | American Airlines |
| Registration | N94229 |
| Flight origin | Buffalo Municipal Airport, New York, U.S. |
| 1st stopover | Rochester Municipal Airport, Rochester, New York, U.S. |
| Last stopover | Hancock Airport, New York, U.S. |
| Destination | Newark International Airport, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupants | 23 |
| Passengers | 20 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 23 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 7 |
American Airlines Flight 6780, the first fatal crash of a Convair 240, occurred on January 22, 1952.
The twin-propeller aircraft was on the routing Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse-Newark. On final approach to runway 6 at Newark Airport using the instrument landing system, it crashed at 3:45 p.m. into a house at the intersection of Williamson and South Streets, in the city of Elizabeth, New Jersey, approximately 3.4 miles (5.5 km) southeast of Newark. The cause of the crash was never determined.
The plane, which had gone 2,100 feet (640 m) off course to the right, narrowly missed hitting the Battin High School for girls, which had dismissed for the day only 45 minutes before.