National Airlines Flight 83

National Airlines Flight 83
	A DC-4 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date	14 January 1951
Summary	Over-shoot on icy runway, resulting in a fire
Site	Philadelphia International Airport,; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. ; 39°52′20.17″N 75°14′14.89″W / 39.8722694°N 75.2374694°W
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-4
Operator	National Airlines
Registration	N74685
Flight origin	Newark International Airport (EWR/KEWR)
Destination	Philadelphia International Airport (PHL/KPHL)
Passengers	25
Crew	3
Fatalities	7
Injuries	11
Survivors	21

National Airlines Flight 83 was a United States domestic flight from Newark International Airport, serving New York City, to Philadelphia. On January 14, 1951, the Douglas DC-4 of National Airlines crashed on landing at Philadelphia International Airport. The aircraft over-shot the runway, ran into a ditch and caught fire. Of the 28 people on board, 7 were killed and 11 injured. One of the dead was the lone flight attendant, Frankie Housley, who had gone back into the burning aircraft to try to save more passengers.

Crash

On arrival at Philadelphia International Airport, the pilots tried to land the aircraft too far down the runway, instead of aborting the approach.^[1] The runway was icy; the aircraft over-shot, running through a fence and into a ditch. The left wing broke off, rupturing the gasoline tanks, and the airplane caught fire. Of 28 people on board, including 3 crew, 7 were killed, including two infants and the one flight attendant on board.^[2]

Frankie Housley

Mary Frances "Frankie" Housley was the lone flight attendant on the flight.^[2]^[3] She opened the emergency door and saw the ground eight feet below. Returning to the cabin, she helped passengers release their seat belts, guided them to the door and gave a gentle shove to those who were hesitant to jump. After seeing 10 people to safety, she returned to the cabin to try to rescue a baby. After the fire was extinguished, the bodies of five women and two infants were found, including Housley with a four-month-old infant in her arms.^[2]^[4]

References

^ "Accident report of National Airlines Flight 83". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Stu Bykofsky (August 12, 2013). "Philadelphia's forgotten airline heroine needs a better memorial". Philadelphia Inquirer.
^ J.C. (Jim) Tumblin. "Fountain Citians Who Made A Difference". Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
^ "Take Your Time". Time. January 22, 1951. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2016.

External links

Report - Civil Aeronautics Board - PDF

[ASN-1] "Accident report of National Airlines Flight 83". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 November 2016.

[memorial-2] Stu Bykofsky (August 12, 2013). "Philadelphia's forgotten airline heroine needs a better memorial". Philadelphia Inquirer.

[Tumblin-3] J.C. (Jim) Tumblin. "Fountain Citians Who Made A Difference". Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2016.

[Time-4] "Take Your Time". Time. January 22, 1951. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2016.

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v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1950s
1950	Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 307 (March 1950) Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501 (June 1950) Myrtle Beach USAF C-46D crash (July 1950) Fairfield-Suisun Boeing B-29 crash (August 1950)
1951	National Airlines Flight 83 (January 1951) Cubana de Aviación Flight 493 (April 1951) United Air Lines Flight 610 (June 1951) United Air Lines Flight 615 (August 1951) Miami Airlines C-46 crash (December 16 1951) Continental Charters Flight 44-2 (December 29 1951)
1952	American Airlines Flight 6780 (January 1952) National Airlines Flight 101 (February 1952) Pan Am Flight 526A (April 1952) American Airlines Flight 910 (June 1952) Mount Gannett C-124 crash (November 22 1952)* Tacoma C-54 crash (November 28 1952) Moses Lake C-124 crash (December 1952)
1953	National Airlines Flight 470 (February 1953) Western Air Lines Flight 636 (April 1953) Delta Air Lines Flight 318 (May 1953) USMC R4Q NROTC crash (July 1953) American Airlines Flight 723 (September 1953) BCPA Flight 304 (October 1953)
1954	Western Air Lines Flight 34 (February 1954}
1955	Cincinnati mid-air collision (January 1955) TWA Flight 260 (February 1955) American Airlines Flight 711 (March 20 1955) Hawaii R6D-1 crash (March 22 1955)* Pan Am Flight 845/26 (March 26 1955) MacArthur Airport United Airlines crash (April 1955) American Airlines Flight 476 (August 1955) United Air Lines Flight 409 (October 1955) United Air Lines Flight 629 (November 1955)
1956	TWA Flight 400 (April 1 1956) Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2 (April 2 1956) Grand Canyon mid-air collision (June 1956) Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 304 (July 9 1956) United States Air Force Flight 441/13 (July 13 1956)
1957	American Airlines Flight 327 (January 6 1957) Pacoima mid-air collision (January 31 1957) Northeast Airlines Flight 823 (February 1957) Northeast Airlines Flight 285 (September 1957)
1958	Capital Airlines Flight 67 (April 1958) Capital Airlines Flight 300 (May 1958) Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crash (June 1958) Northeast Airlines Flight 258 (August 1958)
1959	Southeast Airlines Flight 308 (January 1959) The Day the Music Died (February 3 1959) American Airlines Flight 320 (February 3 1959) Capital Airlines Flight 75 (May 1959) American Airlines Flight 514 (August 1959) Braniff International Airways Flight 542 (September 1959) Piedmont Airlines Flight 349 (October 1959) National Airlines Flight 967 (November 1959) Allegheny Airlines Flight 371 (December 1 1959) San Diego F3H crash (December 4 1959)
This list is incomplete. An asterisk (*) denotes an incident that took place in a U.S. territory, including Alaska and Hawaii prior to statehood. 1940–1949 ◄ 1950–1959 ► 1960–1969