Pam Am flight 214, a Boeing 707-121, took off from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport at 4:10 p.m. EST on December 8, 1963 for a flight to Philadelphia Philadelphia. The 73 passengers and 8 crew on board had no idea that they would go down in history.
The airplane was built in 1958 and was named the “Clipper Tradewind”. It had logged 15,609 hours, as recorded by the Aviation Safety Network.
After a stop at Baltimore’s Friendship Airport (now BWI-Marshall) for a refueling stop the flight headed for Philadelphia. There were heavy winds at Philadelphia and it was determined that they would stay in a holding pattern instead of trying to land. Then at 8:58 p.m. EST, the plane was struck by lightning, causing an explosion.
With a final distress call of “Mayday Mayday Mayday. Clipper 214 out of control. Here we go.”, he plane crashed moments later near Elkton, Maryland. All 81 people on the flight were killed.
Prior to this it was believed that lightning could not damage an aircraft. This myth proved to be in error and costly.
It took nearly two years for the Civil Aeronautics Board to issue a probable cause of the accident. On March 3, 1965 issued a statement that read; “Probable Cause: Lightning-induced ignition of the fuel/air mixture in the no. 1 reserve fuel tank with resultant explosive disintegration of the left outer wing and loss of control.”
Memorial Monument for Pan Am Flight 214. Photograph by Carol Crawley.
Note:
Photo of the Memorial Monument was added to the article on April 26, 2012. Photo by Carol Crawley.
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My husbands father was one of the crew on flight 214 and we were looking for a list of the names of the other crew members and passengers who died.Any ideas of a place to look?Thanks,Mary
My father Mario Luis Montilla was the Chief Flight Purser on this flight. My family and I were devastated to learn of the tragic news. On a cold morning on Dec.8,1963 he kissed and hugged us and off to work he went. It was his last trip, he never came back home. Our lives were never the same again. May God bless him,the rest of the crew,and passengers.
I found this here
http://www3.gendisasters.com/maryland/3859/elkton,-md-lightning-explodes-air-liner,-dec-1963
Capt. GEORGE KNUTH, Huntington Station, L. I., N. Y.
1st Officer JOHN R. DALE of Port Washington, L. I., N. Y.
2nd Officer PAUL ORRINGER of New Rochelle, N. Y.
Flight Engineer R. J. KANTLEHNER of Brentwood, L. I., N. Y.
Purser MARIO L. MONTILLA of Bellerose, Queens, N. Y., and the following cabin attendants:
J. K. MORETT of Paramus, N. J.
T. L. SIMS, of New York City.
V. A. HEMZINGER, of New York City.
-drl
I am interested in learning the names of the flight attendants of Flight 214. I have a friend who lives in a house involved with the crash. She feels one or some of the spirits from the crash are still there.
My husband’s father was the pilot. Chris has copies of the articles from the Long Island newspapers. Back in 1996 I got in touch with the Elkton Historical Society and they provided me with lots of information that they had (there is a piece of the wing at the Historical Society) and I made arrangements for Chris to meet with several people who were first responders at the crash site. Also, National Geographic did a special called MegaLightning back in 2004 which features information from the crash.
To Mrs. Kantlehner: I recognized your last name from hearing stories from Chris over the years. I’m sure he’d be happy to share any information we have with your husband. Please feel free to contact me.
I was a college student working for WTOP News in Washington. I had just resigned, as I was moving to an all-news radio station the following Monday. On the night of 12/8, I received a call from WTOP’s assignment editor, Jack Jurey, asking if I would be willing to return to work for that nightly to cover a reported plane crash near Elkton.
I spent the night standing in the cold and rain of a farm field, taking meaningless shots of the comigns and goings or emergency personnel in the illumination of whatever battery powered light was on at the time. (As I recall, news photographers from other stations took turns lighting the activity.) We could see nothing else.
As dawn came, I could see fragments of plane and bodies all around us. I have never forgotten the scene, and most of the daylight footage was not suitable for air. It was also the last time I got that close to a crash site. (I later covered the crash of a B-52 near McCoy AFB in Orlando.)
I thought of this last month as my wife, older daughter, and I were on a plane hit by lightning as we landed in the Twin Cities. My heart goes out to the families of all those who died that night.
Growing up my Grandfather told me stories about the plane crash. He drove out to the site that terrible night. It never seemed real to me until I read about it on line. I purchased a house near the crash site about 10 years ago. My Wife and children had a lot of strange experiences in the house,but I was positive they were crazy. Until one afternoon when I found myself face to face with a small woman or girl who was not really there. She walked past,I was in some kind of shock and could not move. We have since sold this house. No one ever died in that house but my gut tells me it had to do with the plane.
I live in elkton and one of my friends lives in the the neighborhood near the crash site. She told me that one night she was walking from her room to the kitchen, at probably 11:00 at night, and she said she saw a man in a dark suit chasing a little girl right by her, and then they vanished. the ghosts were probably passengers.
Were is the Elkton Historical Society located. My Grand Parents were on this flight. Dr. Robert and Joyce Gilbert from Allentown, Pa. I am curious to see what they have. This is something that my father never really talked about. He was about 13 when this incident happened. It was tough on him then and still is…
The Historical Society of Cecil County
135 E. Main Street
Elkton, MD 21921
My uncle was on that flight. He was returning from his honeymoon in Puerto Rico. I remember watching Ed Sullivan that night and breaking news came on. I will never forget the look on my mother’s face when she learned it was her brother’s flight number. I was only 14 at the time.
I still have questions about lighning striking a plane?
I worked for Pan Am operations in San Juan in December 1963 and knew four of the crew of Flight 214 fairly well: Captain George Knuth, First Officer John Dale, Purser Mario Montillo, and flight attendant (also a purser) “Skippy” Morett. I remember the departure of Flight 214 from San Juan that Sunday afternoon on December 8th. And like everyone at Pan Am was devastated to learn about the crash outside Elkton that night. The death of 74 passengers was tragic, but the death of the eight crew members was very personal since we worked with them day-in and day-out. Anyone interested in learning more about the crash of Flight 214 can read the analysis and result of the investigation at http://ntl1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?websearch&site=dot_aircraftacc
My parents lived in the house next door to Flight Engineer R. J. KANTLEHNER of Brentwood, L. I., N. Y. They were very good friends. We even have some old movie film with him, his wife and family. Marge, his wife, did not know about the horrible accident until she went to the airport to pick him up. Most of the world already knew from news broadcasts which had mentioned his name…she had found out after everyone else. My mother brought up the incident for years including today which prompted me to do a search. She said poor Margie and the family were never the same.
Mom added that Jack had seven kids, and Margie was Margaret. What a horrible accident.
More about the crash is at:
http://cecilcounty.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/pan-american-airways-crash-worst-disaster-in-cecil-county-history/
I actually remember seeing this horrible catastrophy happen-my heart goes out to anyone who loss a loved one.
I was standing and watching a plane cross through the storm from our large living room window. It was my bedtime and as I watched the lightning and storm I started focusing on the plane as it was lit up everytime a lightning bolt flashed. I said to my Mom how glad I was that I wasn’t on that plane(since the storm was so bad)…just then, the lightning hit. It seemed to me the plane exploded immediately and the sky lit up as if it was daylight outside for a long time.
My dad – Harry F. Maclary was a Major for the Cecil County Civil Air Patrol. My mom,Jean, called him immediately and he went right over to the primary site of debris and worked for days with authorities. The Civil Air Patrol members assistance in finding downed aircraft and emergency response for areas from Pennsylvania to Virginia at that time. I remember my dad, a WWII vet, being incredibly upset about his experience. He and mom say how the Red Cross and all involved worked really hard and were very supportive in handling this catastrophy. Elkton was a small town at the time – but when needed, always pulled together – as communities should. I was nine yrs old at the time but my memory of that night is clear…I saw the lightning hit and the explosion.
I also witnessed this horric event as a 6 year old child. My mother was driving us home (Newark, De) from Baltimore and the storm was probably one of the worse I had experienced. The windshield wipers were slapping back and forth violently as Mom tried to navigate the narrow road (Not quite sure, but it may have been Old Baltimore Pike between Elkton and Newark) When the plane was struck the CRAAAACK was deafening and as I looked out the window I saw the sky light up and a ball of flame falling from the sky. “Look mommy..the moon is falling” was my comment. Even today I can clearly see the visual in my minds eye.
I grew up in Newark, DE, which is very close to Elkton, MD. I was in third grade in December of 1963 and was in bed when suddenly, I heard what sounded like a huge explosion and the sky was lit orange. My father came into my room; I recall him looking out the window and trying to figure out what had happened. I remember reading about the crash in the Wilmington, DE paper, the Evening Journal which had extensive coverage of the crash; for whatever reason, I remember that a couple whose last name was Pilgrim lost their lives. In my twenties and by total coincidence, I dated a man from Philadelphia whose parents had been killed on that flight. He was shocked & became unsettled when I told him my memories of that night. I remember him calling his brother right away and telling him.
I have just come back to this site after that first posting.It is unbelievable what I am reading & I thank everyone for their story.I started reading my husband some of it but it was really too painful for him.He is John Kantlehners son and was only 3 yrs old when this hapened.Marge had 8 children and was pregnant with her ninth, which she lost. She told me that she had no body to bury for a long time and from the descriptions of those who witnessed it, hopefully it was instant, pain-free & straight to Heaven.Larrys older sister recalled recently ,walking around constantly looking for her fathers face everywhere she went. Joseph who lived next door, can any of those old movies your mom has be transferred to dvd? I expect life was hard for everyone who was involved.Maybe we should have a 50th anniversary memorial for interested relatives, it may heal something even years later, as this loss, just in this family alone has been remarkable.I`m not surprised theres some ghosts. Thank you everyone.
I spoke to Marge this morning & when I mentioned ghosts, she said the body of the co-pilot & that of a child were never recovered.She did`nt know if the child was a boy or girl.
Is there a Marker at the crash site? Where in Elkton did it occur?
Thanks
Jeff: There is a marker at the site. Pan Am told the families that they would erect a market but never did. The citizens of Elkton did so for the 35th anniversary of the crash. The field is now a subdivision.
It’s on Delancy Road outside of Elkton, right on the MD/DE line. The townhouse development there now is called Turnquist. At the beginning of the development on Wheelhouse Dr. is a granite stone that reads “IN MEMORY OF THE 81 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES WHEN PAN AM FLIGHT 214 CRASHED ON THIS SITE DECEMBER 8, 1963.”
I was a second grader in Newark DE that night. I was standing on my bed watching the storm out the window and saw the Clipper Tradewind above the Chrysler Plant watertower from my perspective omn Ritter Lane. It was a very active storm and the fatal lightening bolt lit the whole sky and the plane exploded immediately into a huge orange ball. I woke my brother up and he saw the last of the arc across the sky the plane made on its decent. We ran to tell my parents who were watching TV and they dismissed what we were saying untill we started to here the emergency vehicles exiting town. We all went to the end of the block and watched every vehicle in town head to Maryland. The next day the paper said they were looking for someone who had “Eyes on” the plane when it was hit. I told my parents I had seen the lightening bolt hit the plane but they said I was too young to answer the papers call. The rumors in the next days of body parts being found on peoples lawns and by pets was pretty horrifying.
The V.A. Hemzinger listed as a crew member was my fiancee, Virgina Ann Heinzinger of Seattle, Washington. She had only been in New York 6 weeks. She was a new stewardess on “stand-by”. I was told she was assigned to this flight at the last minute because the srewardess scheduled for this flight had a premenition and refused to fly. This was only Virginia’s 1st or 2nd flight. I was in graduate school at Lehigh University and that awful storm passed over us. I found out about the crash while watching Candid Camera when they interruped the prgram to announce the crash. I immediately called her roomate in NYC and found out she had replaced the stewardess and was on that flight. The memory of her and her smile will be with me forever……….
I’d just like to say that I graduated from West Seattle High with Viginia. We were not close friends but she was the kind of person you always felt comfortable around and a very nice person. I remember hearing about it from a friend and feeling the loss. I am sorry you lost her.
We just added an interview with the first emergency responder to arrive on the scene that terrible night. Lt. Don Hash (then a rookie trooper) was on patrol heading toward Elkton when he saw the enormous bolt of lighting and the explosion. He described it for us in an interview and we’ve put part of it up on the web.
http://cecilcounty.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/first-emergency-responder-to-arrive-on-scene-of-1963-plane-crash-recalls-tragic-night/
I am interested in finding out the passenger names on Pan Am Flight 214. I am doing a family tree and my Grandfather died on that flight.
the cabin crew names:
Mario MOntilla-steward
Joseph Morett- steward
Tommie Louis Simms-stewardess
Virginia A. Heizinger-stewardess
All flight attendants based at New York Int. airport
This is certainly a stretch and is in no way meant to undermine the terrible loss of the crew and passengers in this terrible disaster. I have always felt a connection to this incident in some way. You see, I was born on December 9th, 1963. Becoming an airline pilot was something that I have always wished to do. Even as a young child, I knew without any doubt that I wished to become an “airline” pilot. I had no interest in military or general aviation flying…all of my interests were with the airlines. Moving forward to the present…I am now a Captain for an airline and I am based out of JFK in New York. I pass through the Pan Am world port often and will always wonder if there was some type of connection with the loss of the crew that day and my being born the very next to live a career as I have based from the same airport.
As I said, a stretch but, fate works in many ways. Truly, my deepest sympathies to all who lost a loved one in this terrible accident. Even now, all of these years later the loss that even I feel is deep.
This is for Mary Kantlehner. Sorry it took me so long to get back to this website and find your message.. I can certainly put those old movies onto a DVD. It has Marge, her husband and some of the kids. Not sure how to contact you.
We are Delaware Area Paranormal Society and we are located in New Castle, DE. If anyone wants to have us investigate their location in Turnquist contact us, it is free. We can set up a time on a weekend to come out for a few hours and do some investigating and see if we can capture any activity we can associate with the paranormal that may be related to the horrible crash in 1963. Traumatic deaths are a common reason many spirits cannot cross over and move on. Sometimes they feel they have more work to do here, other times they don’t realize their fate. No group can guarantee evidence will be captured, but its worth a try for free.
Thank you to the webmaster for continuing to host this thread.
My mother was 14, the oldest of five kids, when she lost her parents in this crash. Dr. Charles and Mrs. Virginia Hefele of Allentown, PA. Can you miss someone you’ve never met? Yes, I miss my grandparents. Charles “Chick” was an ob/gyn and delivered many Allentown babies over the years.
I’m sad reading about the crash site. I know my mother has her mother’s wedding and engagement ring in safekeeping. My understanding was that some of the victims were able to be recovered, and this is how they collected my grandmother’s rings. I am so sad thinking through this process, and my heart goes out to everyone who is connected to this night in some way.
In Loving Memory,
December 8, 2011.
For Joseph Papparatto, thank you so much.My e-mail is marymarner1@hotmail.com.I`ve been sending Marge these up-dates & of course she fondly remembers you guys.She is 81 now & lives in Florida.These stories are so full of sadness.I intend to go there for the 50th anniversary.I feel there is a need for a ritual/ blessing something there, to lift the sadness.Also yes thank you webmaster.
Thanks for the comments. It is my intentions to keep this up for as long as I am able. Since I’m still a fairly young and healthy man, I hope that this will be for a long time.
I have enjoyed reading the comments. Since I live in the area, around 40 miles south of the sight, I have been considering trying to set up something for the 50th Anniversary in 2013.
I’ll keep every one updated.
Steve Atkinson (info@6thingstoconsider.com)
Thank you Steve & Merry Christmas.
I think a memorial service or event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the crash of Flight 214 would be very nice to say the least. It would mean a lot to the folks who were here and witnessed the tragic crash along with the families and friends of the passengers and crew.
I do have a question. Why hasn’t Pan Am done anything?
I also remember that night. i was 5 years old and my bedroom window faced the direction of delancy road. We lived on melbourne blvd in thompson estates really close to the crash site. I remember it looking like daylight outside for a few moments and the horrific sounds. Not sure i really understood what was happening at the time but my parents certainly did. Daddy worked in the aviatin industry at the time with atlantic aviation in wilmington, de.
My father was a Maryland State Trooper and worked on this crash site. He is 83 now. If anyone has any questions you think he might be able to answer, I would ask him for you.
For some strange reason I have recently thought about this crash. I was attending Parkland high school in Allentown and a fellow classmate, Jeff Gilbert, lost his parents, Robert and Joyce Gilbert in that crash. I remember attending the memorial service for them – how sad it was. And especially sad for Jeff and his sister. I remember Robert & Joyce as dynamic, fun active people. We all belonged to the same local swim club. I read a comment form Matt Gilbert whom I assume is Jeff’s son. If you see this, Matt, give your dad Jeff a big hug for me. After graduation from high school, most of us go our own ways and never reconnect. I always wondered what happened to Jeff & hope he has found peace.
First, I would like to thank the webmaster for this site. Until 24 hours ago I had no idea the number of that flight, let alone that there might be site related to it. To me, it was a personal memory of the loss of our next door neighbor, William Pilgrim. I was only 7 at the time. My dad sat my sister and I down the morning after the crash and explained that Mr. Pilgrim had been in a plane crash and we wouldn’t be able to see him anymore.
Yesterday I was browsing a facebook group dedicated to the subdivision where I grew up where the creator posted a question about the street each of us grew up on and our neighbors. I mentioned the plane struck by lightening that took Mr. Pilgrim’s life. He asked what year and after some quick math I told him 63 or 64. We decided to Google it. I did find a list which I will be happy to share. In that list it gave his address as Phila. However he lived on Rita Road in New Castle, DE. I might mention here that the families who resided in that house after his death were plagued with problems. Two electrical fires, every woman that lived their left her family, one man and his son moved out. Shortly afterward he was killed in a freak accident where a soda machine fell over and crushed him.
I now live in Newark, DE, close to the actual site of the crash. I am interested in any and all information regarding the crash, crew and passengers. I recently finished co-authoring a book and am intrigued enough to consider writing a book on Pan Am Flight 214.
My email address is: c.crawley210@gmail.com.
Thank you, again,
C. Crawley
The list of the crew and passengers:
http://www3.gendisasters.com/maryland/3859/elkton,-md-lightning-explodes-air-liner,-dec-1963?page=0%2C3
I would like to know how to view a copy of the documentary or film that was done on this crash. My Grandfather who I never met died in this crash. He was from Philadelphia. Is something being done for the 50th year.
Alicia,
I understand Pan Am was supposed to build a memorial but never did. Cecil County did however donate a stone. I took pictures of it last Friday but don’t see a place to post them here. I live about 10 minutes from the site over the Delaware state line and would certainly be happy to help in anyway I could with a 50th anniversary memorial.
May I ask, who was your grandfather? We lost our neighbor, as stated above, William Pilgrim and his new bride.
Carol
Thanks Carol for the photograph of the Memorial Monument.
Hi Carol,
My grandfather’s name was Arnold Sherman, from Wynwood, PA. I actually found a picture of the stone, but thank you so much for your offer.
Alicia