American Airlines Flight 1 (1941)
Accident
At 9:07 p.m., the plane departed from Buffalo. When the plane arrived near the area where the accident occurred, the plane started to descend, circled to the right and banked normally for the radius and speed of the turns. The diameter of the initial circle was approximately 1+1⁄2 miles; thereafter during the descent the radius progressively diminished. After completing approximately four circles, the airplane recovered from the spiral in close proximity to the ground, climbed suddenly to an altitude of about 200 to 500 feet and may have stalled. It then dived to the ground, striking in a nose-down attitude at an angle of approximately 70 degrees with the horizontal, and immediately burst into flames. Everyone onboard was killed.
Cause
The probable cause of the crash was not determined in the published Civil Aeronautics Board accident report.
Memorial
At the crash site, a plaque was erected on 10 September 2018 by Ray Lunn of the Southwold SS12 school committee, with help from the Green Lane Community Trust and the Southwold Township History Committee, to outline the events that unfolded in that accident and remember the victims of the accident.
Book
In 2008, Robert D. Schweyer of Jarvis, Ontario, finished writing the book, Final Descent: The Loss of the Flagship Erie. Schweyer died from cancer before the book could be published. His family were able to complete the final necessities to have the book published and available for distribution in 2014.
Stage Play
A stage play about the accident, Lawrence Station: The Crash of American Airlines Flagship Erie, was written by Len Cuthbert and produced April 14-29, 2023, in Shedden, Ontario, Strathroy, Ontario and London, Ontario, by Fridge Door Live Theatre Company. The production was supported by Green Lane Community Trust, Township of Southwold, Wright Family Foundation, and seed money for writing from the Ontario Arts Council.
Notes
- ^ Some sources claim that the flight number was 1AM7 or 1 AM-7
References
- ^ "Crash of Flight 1AM7 no longer a forgotten tragedy". chathamdailynews.ca. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "A bond forged in Southwestern Ontario's forgotten airplane disaster". stthomastimesjournal.com. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ "American Airlines 1941 timetable".
- ^ "CAB Docket SA-54" (PDF). 1942-03-13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-06-06. Retrieved 2017-12-04.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-3-277B NC25663 St. Thomas, ON". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
- ^ "Robert Schweyer - Thursday, September 2nd, 2010". memorials.cooperfuneralhome.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-27.