 OO-SJB, the aircraft involved in the accident, at Manchester Airport on 28 May 1960 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 15 February 1961 |
| Summary | Loss of control for undetermined reasons (possible mechanical failure) |
| Site | Kampenhout, near Brussels Airport, Belgium 50°55′15″N 4°31′36″E / 50.9209°N 4.5268°E |
| Total fatalities | 73 |
| Total injuries | 1 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 707-329 |
| Operator | Sabena |
| Registration | OO-SJB[1] |
| Flight origin | Idlewild Airport, New York |
| Destination | Brussels Airport, Zaventem |
| Occupants | 72 |
| Passengers | 61 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Fatalities | 72 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 1 |
| Ground injuries | 1 |
Sabena Flight 548 was a Boeing 707-329[1] flight operated by Sabena that crashed en route from New York City to Brussels, Belgium on 15 February 1961. The flight, which had originated at Idlewild International Airport,[2] crashed on approach to Brussels Airport, killing all 72 people on board and one person on the ground.[3] The fatalities included the entire United States figure skating team, which was traveling to the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.[4][5] The precise cause of the crash remains unknown; the most likely explanation was thought to be a failure of the mechanism that adjusts the tail stabilizer.[1]
This was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 707 in regular passenger service; it happened 28 months after the 707 airliner had been placed into commercial use.[a] It remains the deadliest plane crash to have occurred on Belgian soil.[1]
- ^ a b c d Ranter, Harro. "Sabena Flight SN548 Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Jet Crash Wipes Out U.S. Skate Team". The Spokesman-Review. 16 February 1961. p. 20. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- ^ "The Brussels Tragedy". Flight Magazine (online FlightGlobal archive). 24 February 1961. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ "Air Crash Fatal to 73 Is Probed – Jet's Plunge Kills Skaters". The Spokesman-Review. 16 February 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
- ^ Ford, Bonnie D. (2011). "Still Crystal Clear". ESPN. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
The plane crash that killed the 1961 U.S. world championship figure skating team decimated families and the sport, but alongside grief came renewal.
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