Valley Girl Views: The 1965 Crash of a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan in Williamsport

Sunday, June 28, 2020

The 1965 Crash of a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan in Williamsport

The 1965 Crash of a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan in Williamsport

"Forty persons- 36 passengers and four crew members - miraculously escaped death Friday afternoon when Allegheny Airlines Flight 604 en route to the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Airport from Pittsburg, crashed and burned soon after takeoff from the Williamsport Airport."

- The Scranton Tribune, July 24 1965

Shortly after takeoff smoke and fire were observed coming from the right engine and at approximately 1505:30 the captain advised "Six oh four is coming back in, we've got the right engine feathered.” He then attempted to turn back to the airport, but found it impossible to maintain flying speed.

The plane flew just feet above the Good Shephard Episcopal Church, hitting a nearby pole and knifing through power lines, before landing in a a grove of pine trees.

Mrs Geroge H Park, who lives about a half mile from the crash scene, said the plane barely cleared the barn on her farm. "It appeared the pilot was maneuvering it pretty well to avoid striking my barn and the church" Mrs Parkes said. She was the first on the accident scene, and said most of teh passengers were capable of walking away without assistance.

Donald Brody, a 16 year old passenger on the plane, recalled that the whole right side of the plane was in flames at the point of impact. "The fire still hadn't hit the fuselage, or the passenger section of th eplane. There wasn't much panic. I was surprised"

"Everyone walked out except the pilot - he had to be carried out. You could see he was hurt"

"The girl in the yellow dress"

Mrs Hal Ebersole spent seven weeks in Williamsport Hospital. "Expected to reach Scranton in 27 minutes, it took her 49 days" reported the Scranton Tribune.

She was the most injured of the passengers, with extensive burns from her fingertips to her shoulder.Mrs Ebersole had some difficulty unbuckling her seat belt as flames shot through the shattered windows. Still, she escaped through a window, tearing her arm on the broken glass, and leapt to the remains of a wing before jumping to the ground. "And I didn't even realize I was burned.. there was no immediate pain" she recalled.She did not remember crawling through the wooded area from the wreckage, but she was soon picked up by some Christian Brothers and carried up a steep hill to the road, to be transported to the hospital.Mrs Ebersole, married to a US Steel executive, was known as an "amateur ham", having appeared in variety shows, and on the Grand Ole Opery.