L-188 Electra
Webpages concerning "L-188 Electra"
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Wikipedia-Article "L-188 Electra"
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The Lockheed L-188 Electra first flew in 1957, and was the first turboprop airliner built in the USA. It delivered performance only slightly inferior to that of a full jet aircraft, at a lower operating cost.
On September 29, 1959, a Braniff Electra which was en route from Houston to Dallas, mysteriously broke up in flight over Buffalo, Texas. All 28 passengers and six crew members were killed.
Just under six months later, on March 17, 1960, an Electra operated by Northwest Orient, en route from Chicago to Miami, Florida, broke apart in flight over Perry County, Indiana, crashing in a farm field eight miles east of Cannelton. All 63 people on board were killed (57 passengers and six crew members).
NASA and Lockheed engineers eventually determined that the engine mounts allowed too much fore and aft movement of the propellers ("propeller whirl"), which created an aeroelastic phenomenon called "flutter" in flight. This flutter, by pure chance, occurred at the wings' natural resonant frequency, setting up a negatively damped harmonic oscillation that eventually led to separation of a wing from the fuselage. The engine mounts were redesigned and the problem was solved.
Almost every airline in the US flew Electras, but the only European airline to order the type was KLM; Britain's airlines used the Vickers Viscount. In the South Pacific, TEAL flew the Electra, NAC the Viscount, Air New Zealand flew both.
The Electras flew in commercial service until the mid-1970s, when many were sold to the United States Navy for use as P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft. Others were retired into air cargo use. A total of 144 L-188's were built, 57 of which have been destroyed in accidents as of September 2004, according to the Aviation Safety Network [1].
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The Kiwanis Electra Memorial
The citizens of Perry County and the Cannelton Kiwanis Club raised funds for a memorial at the site of the 1960 crash. Dedicated in 1961, the Kiwanis Electra Memorial marks the site of Indiana's worst air crash. It is located on Millstone Road, which may be reached via Indiana highways 66 and 166, eight miles east of Cannelton, Indiana.
Cannelton newspaper editor and civic booster Bob Cummings wrote the words which are inscribed on the memorial along with the names and symbols of the religious faiths of those who died aboard the plane. The inscription reads: "This memorial, dedicated to the memory of 63 persons who died in an airplane crash at this location, March 17, 1960, was erected by public subscription in the hope that such tragedies will be eliminated."
Specifications
- Passengers: 99 to 127
- Powerplants: Four Allison 501 turboprop engines, rated for 3,750 hp (2,800 kW)
- Cruise speed: 390 mph (620 km/h)
- Ceiling: 28,400 ft (9,500 m)
- Range: 2,200 mi (3,500 km)
See also
External links
- ASN Report on 1960 Northwest Orient crash
- Civil Aeronautics Board Report on 1960 Northwest Orient crash (from Department of Transportation Special Collections)
- ASN Report on 1959 Braniff crash
- Civil Aeronautics Board Report on 1959 Braniff crash (from Department of Transportation Special Collections)
- Engineering Summary of Propeller Whirl on the Electra
- Kiwanis Electra Memorial website
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