Lake Central Flight 527
A Convair 580 similar to the accident aircraft
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 5 March 1967 |
| Summary | Loss of control and aircraft break-up after catastrophic propeller failure |
| Site | During descent to Toledo, near Marseilles Township, Wyandot County, Ohio 40°41′37″N 83°25′51″W / 40.69361°N 83.43083°WCoordinates: 40°41′37″N 83°25′51″W / 40.69361°N 83.43083°W |
| Passengers | 35 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 38 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Convair 580 |
| Operator | Lake Central Airlines |
| Registration | N73130 |
| Flight origin | Chicago O'Hare International Airport |
| 1st stopover | Lafayette (IN) Airport |
| 2nd stopover | Greater Cincinnati Airport |
| 3rd stopover | Port Columbus International Airport |
| 4th stopover | Toledo Express Airport |
| Destination | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport |
Lake Central Flight 527 was a regularly scheduled flight from Chicago, Illinois to Detroit, Michigan, with stops at Lafayette, Indiana, Cincinnati, Ohio, Columbus, Ohio, and Toledo, Ohio. Operated by one of the company's Convair 580s, on 5 March 1967, the flight crashed near Marseilles, Ohio, with the loss of all 38 passengers and crew on board.
On 5 March 1967, Lake Central Flight 527 was scheduled from Chicago, Illinois to Detroit, Michigan. The flight, operated by one of the company's Convair 580 aircraft, left Chicago at 1704H and proceeded normally to Lafayette, Cincinnati, and Columbus. No problems were reported.
The aircraft was serviced in Columbus, and departed at 1952 hours for Toledo. At 2005 hours the flight was cleared by air traffic control to descend from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet as it approached Toledo. Air traffic control requested that the flight report its descent, and to report crossing 8,000 and 7,000 feet. The crew acknowledged leaving 10,000 feet. This was the last transmission from the aircraft.
Witnesses in the vicinity of Marseilles, Ohio reported hearing sounds from an aircraft at times between 2005 hours and 2010 hours. Some reported sounds like an engine "revving up". Shortly thereafter the sound of an explosion was reported.
By 2100H the authorities had confirmed that an aircraft had crashed in the area. Rain mixed with snow was reported at the time of the accident.
The aircraft was found to be loaded within normal limits, and the crew was found to be properly qualified for the flight, with no deficiencies reported.
The aircraft was equipped with a flight data recorder. It was able to be read, having sustained no damage in the crash. Approximately 14 minutes after departing Columbus, the aircraft was on a heading of 322 degrees, when it abruptly veered right 40 degrees, and then left 55 degrees, at which point power to the recorder was abruptly terminated. The cockpit voice recorder lost power at the same time, though right before power loss a sound described by investigators as "the first few seconds of an air raid siren" was heard.
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Wikipedia