TML Aircraft Training Center

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BRANIFF HISTORY TODAY - On this day, Monday, October 19, 1959, Braniff International Airways lost its first Boeing 707-227 El Dorado Super Jet in a predelivery ...crash at Oso, Washington, near Seattle. The Boeing 707 registered as N7071 was operating from Boeing's Renton, Washington, plant with a crew that included four Braniff flight personnel, two of whom were lost in the accident, as well as three Boeing employees and a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. Ship N7071 was the first of five Boeing 707s ordered by Braniff on December 1, 1955. Dubbed the El Dorado Super Jet, the big Boeing was the only one of its kind with the more powerful Pratt and Whitney JT4A turbojet engines commonly found on the 707-320 series Intercontinental long-range jet. The big Braniff engines did not require water injection on takeoff. The Series -227 featured the standard Boeing 707-120 fuselage, which combined with the powerful engines created a long-haul lower density airliner that was perfectly suited for the carrier's US Mainland to Latin America routes, which were notorious seasonal fluctuations in load factors. This unique mix of power and lower capacity allowed Braniff to operate out of the higher elevation fields of South America where the jet was to become a mainstay. The smaller capacity also allowed for an increased profit spread giving the fast 707 a financial advantage over other jet aircraft. The big Braniff Super Jet was also the fastest 707 allowing it to be operated at top speeds of 636-miles-per-hour. Initial seating capacity was slated for 106 passengers but was increased to 112 seats with 38 First Class and 74 Coach configuration. Ship N7071 was rolled out at the Boeing Renton Plant on April 30, 1959 and first flew six weeks later on June 11, 1959. Over the next four months numerous training and test flights were conducted in the Washington skies. While on an acceptance flight on October 19, 1959, N7071 crashed near Oso, Washington, some 30 miles north northeast of Everett, Washington, which would become the home of Boeing's new 747 Jumbo Jet plant. The aircraft came to rest on the banks of the Stillaguamish River. The flight proceeded as normal after departure from Renton. On board were eight persons including two Braniff pilots, an FAA Inspector, a Boeing Flight Engineer, a Boeing Instructor Pilot, and another Boeing Pilot, and two additional Braniff personnel that included a Flight Engineer and Technical Training Instructor. There were two Braniff pilots up front including Captain M. Frank Staley and Captain John A. Berke as well as the Boeing Flight Instructor and Flight Engineer. The Boeing Instructor executed a number of maneuvers and then had the Braniff Captain demonstrate the same maneuvers. The Boeing Instructor then began a series of Dutch Rolls and the Braniff Captain executed recoveries from the Dutch Roll maneuvers. Dutch roll is a type of aircraft motion, consisting of an out-of-phase combination of aircraft tail movement from side to side and rocking from side to side. Sweptback wing aircraft, such as high speeds like the Boeing 707, are highly susceptible to Dutch Roll. Boeing had instituted a maximum Dutch Roll bank angle of 25 degrees during any training maneuver in Boeing 707 aircraft. The Boeing instructor instituted a Dutch Roll that far exceeded this minimum with witnesses stating that the bank exceeded 45 degrees and upwards of 60 degrees. The Braniff pilot tried to recover out of a nose right angle and applied right aileron while the right wing was still moving in a downward motion and the aircraft immediately went into a 90 degree bank and yawed right at the same time. The Boeing Instructor took control and immediately applied full left aileron and the aircraft began a violent roll to the left at which time the Number 1, 2, and 4 engines were ripped from their pylons. The Instructor began an emergency landing maneuver on the banks of the Stillaguamish River where N7071 ultimately crashed. Braniff Captain's Staley and Berke along with the Boeing Instructor and Boeing Flight Engineer were killed on impact. The other four personnel on board had shrewdly moved to the rear of the aircraft prior to impact and survived the accident. Ship N7071 was a complete loss and the cost was absorbed by Boeing. The Civil Aeronautics Board or CAB, which conducted airline accident investigations at that time, concluded that the aircraft engine pylons and nacelles had been overstressed and failed as a result of the improper inputs by the Braniff Captain trainee. The Boeing Instructor was faulted for exceeding the Boeing mandated 25 degree maximum bank angle during Dutch Roll training maneuvers and it was pointed out that the Instructor had even been warned just prior to the accident by the Boeing Flight Engineer of the maximum bank angle during the training mission. The Boeing Instructor was also cited for allowing a pilot on his first training flight in the Boeing 707 to try and recover from such extreme maneuvers. Braniff was loaned a Boeing 707-124 ordered by Continental Airlines for its training missions until Braniff's second Series -227 could be made ready for delivery. The Series -124 was not painted and was registered as N74612 and dubbed the Silver Ghost because of its lack of paint. The delivery of the Silver Ghost to Continental Airlines was delayed while Braniff was using the aircraft. On November 13, 1959, Braniff Boeing 707-227 registered as N7072 first flew at Boeing's Renton Plant and was delivered to the Dallas-based airline on December 3, 1959. The first Series -227 service with Braniff was from Dallas Love Field to New York International Idlewild Airport on December 19, 1959. Photo: Braniff International Airways Boeing 707-227 El Dorado Super Jet registered as N7071 is towed from the hangar at Boeing's Renton, Washington, plant in September 1959. The big, fast, and luxurious Boeing four-engine jetliner would have been Braniff's first pure jet aircraft. The aircraft crashed during a pre-delivery flight near Oso, Washington, a month later on October 19, 1959. Braniff Airways Foundation Copyright 1926 2020 Photo: Private Collection, Copyright Braniff International Heritage Archives, Curator Now Associated with The University of Texas at Dallas System Braniff Airways Public Relations Archives Endowment Braniff International Heritage Archives Endowment

Beautiful approach into N30 during the best time for flying in NEPA #fall #cherryridge

Fall flying at Cherry Ridge. Come fly with us ! #honesdalepa

Congratulations on your first solo Colin!! #firstsolo #privatepilot #cherryridge

Congratulations Adam on earning your private pilot certificate !! #privatepilot #cherryridge #flighttraining

Return from a solo cross country ! #honesdalepa

Early morning fog in 28TL #privatepilot #nepa #honesdalepa

28TL taxiing out for an evening flight lesson! #cherryridge #honesdale

Congrats on your first solo Rich!! #cherryridge

Congratulations Ben Gill on your Private Pilot Certificate!

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Congratulations Adam on your first solo!