1972 Sacramento Canadair Sabre accident

A North American F-86 Sabre similar to the aircraft that crashed
Accident summary
Date September 24, 1972
Summary Pilot error
Site Sacramento Executive Airport
38°31′46″N 121°29′56″W / 38.52944°N 121.49889°W / 38.52944; -121.49889Coordinates: 38°31′46″N 121°29′56″W / 38.52944°N 121.49889°W / 38.52944; -121.49889
Crew 1
Fatalities 22
Injuries (non-fatal) 28
Aircraft type Canadair Sabre Mk 5
Operator Private
Registration N275X
Flight origin Sacramento Executive Airport
Destination Oakland International Airport

On September 24, 1972, a privately owned Canadair Sabre Mk. 5 jet piloted by Richard Bingham failed to take off while leaving the "Golden West Sport Aviation Air Show" at Sacramento, California's Executive Airport, crashing into a Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. Twenty-two people died and twenty-eight were injured. At the time it was the worst aircraft accident in the United States involving victims on the ground, and would not be surpassed until the Green Ramp disaster in 1994.[1]

Accident

The jet failed to gain sufficient altitude upon takeoff, with eyewitnesses suggesting the nose was over-rotated. The F-86 Sabre has a dangerous and often fatal handling characteristic upon takeoff if the nose is raised prematurely from the runway. This handling characteristic of the F-86 was acknowledged from the early 1950s.[2]

The aircraft flew through a chain link fence at the end of the runway, across Freeport Boulevard, crushing a parked car and crashed at 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) into a local Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour at approximately 4:25 pm.[3] The parlour was occupied in part by the Sacramento 49ers "Little League" football team.[4]

Twenty-two people died, including twelve children. An eight-year-old survivor of the accident lost nine family members including both parents, two brothers, a sister, two grandparents and two cousins. A family of four also died in the accident. Two people were killed in the parked car. Immediately after the crash an elderly couple trying to cross the street to the crash site were struck by a vehicle, killing the wife.[5] The pilot suffered a broken leg and broken arm.[6] The jet was owned by William Penn Patrick a successful businessman. Patrick himself, and his passenger, died when his P-51 Mustang crashed on the morning of June 9, 1973.[5]

Aftermath

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the accident was a result of pilot error due to lack of experience on the jet. Bingham had logged less than four hours flying time in the Sabre. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) modified the rules governing the flight of ex-military jets over densely populated areas, and mandated clearance for such flights.[7] Pilot requirements were also tightened: they would require a checkout by the manufacturer or military, and take-offs and landings would have to be observed by an FAA inspector to confirm proficiency.[7]

The Firefighters Burn Institute was instituted a year after the crash, funded from donations given to local firefighters.[6]

Memorial

In 2002, a memorial was built at the site of the accident and dedicated in March 2003. It consists of: a rose garden with two benches, a fountain, a concrete marker and two metal plaques with the names of those who died.[6]

In 2012, a service to commemorate the 40th anniversary was held to remember the victims of the accident.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Private Sabre crash". Flight International: 475. 5 October 1972.
  2. ↑ Hoover, R.A. "Bob" (1997). Forever Flying : Fifty Years of High-Flying Adventures, from Barnstorming in Prop Planes to Dogfighting Germans to Testing Supersonic Jets : an autobiography : with Mark Shaw : foreword by Chuck Yeager. New York: Pocket Books. p. 184. ISBN 0-671-53761-X.
  3. ↑ Bizjak, Tony (April 1, 2002). "After 30 years, a Farrell's healing". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  4. ↑ Magagnini, Stephen (December 31, 1999). "Farrell's disaster claimed 22 lives". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "The Crash at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor in Sacramento, CA – September 24, 1972". Check Six. 2002. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Pierleoni, Alan (September 24, 2012). "Somber event recalls Farrell's jet-crash disaster". Sacramento Bee. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Harbour, Mike (September 24, 2012). "Farrell's Crash Remembered 40 Years Later". Flight Journal. Retrieved January 12, 2014.

External links

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