1960 Munich Convair 340 crash
A C-131D similar to the accident aircraft
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 17 December 1960 |
| Summary | Take-off failure |
| Site |
Munich, West Germany 48°8′20″N 11°32′59″E / 48.13889°N 11.54972°ECoordinates: 48°8′20″N 11°32′59″E / 48.13889°N 11.54972°E |
| Passengers | 13 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 52 (including 32 on the ground) |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 20 (on the ground) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Convair C-131D (CV-340) |
| Operator | Third Air Force, United States Air Force |
| Registration | 55-0291 |
| Flight origin | Munich-Riem airport |
| Destination | RAF Northolt |
On 17 December 1960, a Convair C-131D Samaritan operated by the United States Air Force on a flight from Munich to RAF Northolt, crashed shortly after take-off from Munich-Riem Airport, due to fuel contamination. All 20 passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground were killed.
On 17 December 1960, the Samaritan was due to fly from Munich-Riem airport in Germany to RAF Northolt in the United Kingdom with 13 passengers and 7 crew. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft lost power to one of its two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engines. Unable to maintain altitude, it hit the 318-foot steeple of St. Paul's Church next to the Oktoberfest site (then vacant) in the downtown Ludwigsvorstadt borough. Subsequently, at 2:10 PM, it crashed into a crowded two-section Munich tramway car in Martin-Greif-Straße, close to Bayerstraße.
All 13 passengers and 7 crew members on the plane died. Thirty-two people on the ground were killed and 20 were injured. A section of the wing crashed through the roof of a building at Hermann-Lingg-Straße, a block away from the main accident site, without injuring anybody there. Time magazine later reported that all 13 passengers on the Convair were holiday-bound University of Maryland students.
The accident aircraft, Convair C-131D-CO Samaritan, (c/n 212, company designation: Model 340-79), was a twin piston engined military transport with seating for 44 passengers. Given the military serial number 55-0291, the aircraft was the first United States Air Force C-131 to be based in Europe, at RAF Northolt, where it was under command of the 7500th Air Base Group, 3rd Air Force, U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).
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