Southern Airways Flight 932

Southern Airways Flight 932
A Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
DateNovember 14, 1970 (1970-11-14)
SummaryControlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
SiteNear Tri-State Airport, Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
38°22′27″N 82°34′42″W / 38.37417°N 82.57833°W / 38.37417; -82.57833
Aircraft
Aircraft typeDouglas DC-9-31
OperatorSouthern Airways
RegistrationN97S
Flight originKinston Regional Jetport, Kinston, North Carolina
1st stopoverTri-State Airport, Huntington, West Virginia
2nd stopoverHopkinsville-Christian County Airport, Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Last stopoverAlexandria International Airport, Alexandria, Louisiana
DestinationBaton Rouge Metropolitan Airport, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Occupants75
Passengers71
Crew4
Fatalities75
Survivors0

Southern Airways Flight 932 was a chartered Southern Airways Douglas DC-9 domestic United States commercial jet flight from Stallings Field (ISO) in Kinston, North Carolina, to Huntington Tri-State Airport/Milton J. Ferguson Field (HTS) near Kenova and Ceredo, West Virginia. At 7:36 pm on November 14, 1970, the aircraft crashed into a hill just short of the Tri-State Airport, killing all 75 people on board in what has been recognized as "the worst sports-related air tragedy in U.S. history".[1][2]

The plane was carrying 37 members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, eight members of the coaching staff, 25 boosters, two pilots, two flight attendants, and a charter coordinator.[3] The team was returning home after a 17–14 loss to the East Carolina Pirates at Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.[4]

At the time, Marshall's athletic teams rarely traveled by plane, since most away games were within easy driving distance of the campus. The team originally planned to cancel the flight, but changed plans and chartered the Southern Airways DC-9.[5] The accident is the deadliest tragedy to have affected any sports team in U.S. history.[6]

It was the second college football team plane crash in a little over a month, after the October 2 crash that killed 31 (head coach, 14 Wichita State players, and 16 others).

  1. ^ "Marshall crash still looms after 36 years". Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2007.
  2. ^ Wilson, Amy (December 18, 2006). "The night Huntington died". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
  3. ^ "Plane crash devastates Marshall University". History.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  4. ^ Withers, Bob (December 19, 2006). "The story of the 1970 Marshall Plane Crash". The Herald-Dispatch. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  5. ^ Drehs, Wayne (November 13, 2000). "Tragedy litters the sports landscape: Marshall remains the worst sports-related air disaster". ESPN. Huntington, West Virginia: ESPN.
  6. ^ Prince, Justin (November 16, 2010). "Reporter recalls memories from worst sports- related air tragedy in US history". The Parthenon. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013.