Editing Eastern Air Lines (section)

===Fatal accidents===
* August 10, 1937, Trip 7, a [[Douglas DC-2]] (NC13739), crashed on takeoff at [[Daytona Beach International Airport|Daytona Beach Municipal Airport]] after it struck a utility pylon during a nighttime take off, killing four of nine on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC13739|id=19370810-0|access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref>
* February 26, 1941, [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 21|Flight 21]], a [[Douglas DC-3|Douglas DST]], crashed near Atlanta in fog due to a misread altimeter, almost killing [[Eddie Rickenbacker]], who was traveling on airline business. His recovery in the hospital received broad press coverage; during his initial recovery, several incorrect news reports claimed that he had died. Of 16 on board, 8 died, including Congressman [[William D. Byron]]. [[Clara Littledale|Clara Savage Littledale]], editor of [[Parents (magazine)|''Parents'']] magazine, survived.<ref name="NAW">Littledale, Clara Savage. Edited by Barbara Sicherman, 1934- and Carol Hurd Green, 1935-; in Notable American Women: The Modern Period (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1980), 458-459</ref> Littledale recounted her experience of the crash for ''Parents''.<ref name="NICELY">Hecht, G. J., & Clara, S. L. (1941, 05). Mrs. Littledale is doing nicely, thanks! Parents' Magazine, 16, 40.</ref>  Her husband, [[Pulitzer Prize]]–winning journalist [[Harold A. Littledale]], was paralyzed as a result of the crash.<ref name=news>{{cite news |title=H. A. Littledale, Writer Who Started NJ Prison Reforms |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/530565852/ |work=The News (Paterson, New Jersey, page 31) |agency=Newspapers.com |date=12 August 1957 |language=en}}</ref>
* July 12, 1945: [[Eastern Airlines Flight 45|Flight 45]], a [[Douglas DC-3|Douglas DC-3-201C]] (NC25647) flying from Washington, DC to [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia, SC]], collided in mid-air with [[USAAF]] [[A-26 Invader|A-26C Invader]] near Florence, South Carolina. The A-26 lost control and crashed; two crew parachuted but only one survived. The DC-3 executed a [[forced landing]] in a cornfield, killing one passenger, a two-year-old boy.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450712-0 ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-3-201C NC25647 Florence, SC] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022002426/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450712-0 |date=2012-10-22 }}. Aviation-safety.net (1945-07-12). Retrieved on 2013-08-16.</ref>
* September 7, 1945: Flight 42, a Douglas DC-3-201G (NC33631), crashed near Florence, South Carolina following an unexplained fire in the rear of the aircraft. Control was lost after the right elevator also caught fire and the aircraft crashed in a swampy, wooded area, killing all 22 on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC33631|id=19450907-0|access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref>
* December 30, 1945: Flight 14, a Douglas DC-3-201 (NC18123), overran the runway while landing at LaGuardia Airport after approaching too high and too fast, killing one of 14 of board.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC18123|id=19451230-0|access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref>
* January 18, 1946: Flight 105, a Douglas DC-3-201E (NC19970), crashed at Cheshire, Connecticut after a loss of control caused by wing separation, killing all 17 on board. A fire, caused by a fuel leak, started in the left engine and spread to the wing, causing it to collapse and fail.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC19970|id=19460118-0|access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref>
* January 12, 1947: Flight 665, a [[Douglas C-49]] (NC88872), crashed at Galax, Virginia after the pilot deviated from the flight route, killing 18 of 19 on board.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC88872|id=19470112-0|access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref>
* May 30, 1947: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 605|Flight 605]], a [[Douglas DC-4]] en route from Newark to Miami, crashed near Bainbridge, Maryland, killing all 53 aboard. At the time, Flight 605 was the deadliest crash in United States aviation history. "Loss of control" was cited as the reason for the crash.
* January 13, 1948: Flight 572, a Douglas DC-3-201F (NC28384), crashed at Oxon Hill, Maryland after striking trees while on approach to Washington National Airport, killing five of nine on board; the aircraft was flying too low.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC28384|id=19480113-2|access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref>
* February 7, 1948: Flight 611, a [[Lockheed L-649 Constellation]] (NC112A), suffered a propeller blade separation over the Atlantic Ocean 156&nbsp;mi off Brunswick, Georgia. Three hours after takeoff, the number three propeller failed and a portion of a blade penetrated the fuselage, cutting control cables, electrical wires and engine controls and killing a crew member before exiting the fuselage on the opposite side. After this the front portion of the number three engine broke free and fell off. A rapid descent was initiated. At 12,000 feet the descent was stopped. Due to instrument failure the aircraft descended visually to 1,000 feet. On landing the number four engine was shut down and the brakes applied hard, which blew out a tire. Fires started in the landing gear and number four engine but were quickly extinguished. Despite the damage, the aircraft was repaired and returned to service.<ref>{{ASN accident|title=NC112A|id=19480207-0|access-date=26 May 2016}}</ref>
* November 1, 1949: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 537|Flight 537]], a [[Douglas DC-4]] (N88727) on approach to [[Reagan National Airport|Washington National Airport]], collided in mid-air with a [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]] being test-flown for acceptance by the Government of Bolivia, killing all 55 aboard the DC-4 and seriously injuring the pilot of the P-38. At the time it was the deadliest airliner crash in United States history.
* October 19, 1953: A [[Lockheed L-749A Constellation]] (N119A) from [[Idlewild International Airport]] to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], [[Puerto Rico]], crashed shortly after takeoff, killing two of 27 on board.<ref name=ASN191053>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19531019-0|title=Accident description|publisher=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=11 March 2010}}</ref>
* December 21, 1955: A Lockheed L-749A Constellation (N112A) crashed on approach to Jacksonville's Imeson Airport arriving from Miami, with further scheduled stops at Washington, DC, New York and Boston. Twelve passengers and a crew of five were killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/122105/met_20621930.shtml|title=The crash of Eastern Flight 642: 50 years later - Jacksonville.com|first=JESSIE-LYNNE|last=KERR}}</ref>
* October 4, 1960: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 375|Flight 375]] (a [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]]) departing Boston's [[Logan International Airport]] for [[Philadelphia]] crashed on takeoff after [[bird strike|striking]] a flock of birds. Sixty-two of the 72 passengers and crew were killed.
* November 30, 1962: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 512|Flight 512]] (a [[Douglas DC-7]]) crashed during a [[go around]] after failing to land due to fog at [[Idlewild Airport]] (now JFK) in [[New York City]]. Of the 51 passengers and crew on board, 25 were killed.
* February 25, 1964: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 304|Flight 304]] (a [[Douglas DC-8]]) flying from New Orleans International Airport to [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Washington-National Airport]] crashed into [[Lake Pontchartrain]] en route due to "degradation of aircraft stability characteristics in [[Clear-air turbulence|turbulence]], because of abnormal longitudinal trim component positions." All 51 passengers and seven crew aboard were killed.
* February 8, 1965: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 663|Flight 663]], a Douglas DC-7 departing from [[New York City]] to [[Richmond, Virginia]], crashed at [[Jones Beach State Park]] after takeoff from [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK]] when it was forced to evade inbound [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] Flight 212. All 84 on board died. The evasive action was blamed for causing the plane to lose control.
* December 4, 1965: Flight 853, a Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation, [[1965 Carmel mid-air collision|collided]] with TWA Flight 42, a [[Boeing 707]], over Carmel, New York. The Constellation crashed on Hunt Mountain in North Salem, New York, killing four of 53 on board while the 707 landed safely with no casualties.
* December 29, 1972: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 401|Flight 401]] (a brand new [[Lockheed L-1011]]) was preparing to land in [[Miami]], when the flight crew became distracted by a non-functioning gear light. The flight crashed in the [[Everglades]], killing 101 of 176 on board. This was the first major crash of a widebody jet aircraft.
* September 11, 1974: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 212|Flight 212]], a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-31]] carrying 78 passengers and four crew, crashed while conducting an [[instrument approach]] in dense ground fog at [[Charlotte/Douglas International Airport|Douglas Municipal Airport]]. The aircraft crashed just short of the runway, killing 72; three survivors subsequently died from their injuries. Killed on this flight were [[James William Colbert Jr.|James]], Peter, and Paul Colbert, the father and older brothers (respectively) of comedian [[Stephen Colbert]].<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stephen-colbert-on-insincerity/ "Stephen Colbert On Insincerity"], ''[[60 Minutes]]'', April 27, 2006</ref>
* June 24, 1975: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 66|Flight 66]], a [[Boeing 727]], crashed into runway approach lights as it penetrated a thunderstorm near the ILS localizer course line at [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|JFK]] in New York City, killing 113 passengers and crew. The official cause of the accident was a sudden high rate of descent, caused by severe downdrafts from the thunderstorm, and the continued use of the runway despite the hazardous weather. [[American Basketball Association|ABA]] basketball star [[Wendell Ladner]] was one of the passengers killed in the crash.
* January 1, 1985: [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 980|Flight 980]], a [[Boeing 727]] struck Mount [[Illimani]] on a flight from [[Silvio Pettirossi International Airport]] in [[Asunción, Paraguay]], to [[El Alto International Airport]] in [[La Paz, Bolivia]]. All 19 passengers and 10 crew were killed on impact.