Date:	Friday 30 November 1962
Time:	21:45
Type:	Douglas DC-7B
Owner/operator:	Eastern Air Lines
Registration:	N815D
MSN:	45084/711
Year of manufacture:	1956
Total airframe hrs:	18411 hours
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 25 / Occupants: 51
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	New York-Idlewild International Airport, NY (IDL) -   United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Charlotte-Douglas Airport, NC (CLT/KCLT)
Destination airport:	New York-Idlewild International Airport, NY (IDL/KIDL)
Investigating agency:	CAB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Eastern Flight 512 departed Charlotte (CLT) at 19:41 for an IFR flight to New York-Idlewild. Weather worsened at Idlewild due to ground fog. At 21:45 the aircraft crossed the runway 04R threshold and continued along a flight path of 1,5 degree slope downward and about 6 degrees to the left of runway heading for almost 9 seconds. A rapid deterioration of visual reference forced the crew to abandon the approach. The landing gear was retracted, flaps selected to 20 degrees and slightly more than climb power was applied. The aircraft was 1000 feet past the ILS touchdown point, left of the runway and at an altitude of 25 feet when the missed approach procedure was initiated.
A 9 degree nose up attitude had to be attained in order to compensate for the loss of lift as the flaps were retracted. The aircraft didn't reach this attitude due to a lack of immediate instrument orientation (during transition to instrument reference due to loss of visual reference) and additional power was either not requested or delayed.
At 3460 feet from the threshold the propellers no. 1 and 2 contacted the ground. The aircraft was in a 6 degree left bank, 3-5 degree nose up and had an airspeed of 135 knots. Breakup of the wings and fuselage occurred on a mound of earth about 3 feet high, 3600 feet from the runway 04R threshold.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The technique employed by the crew during abandonment of the approach under fog conditions not adequately reported."

CAB Aircraft Accident Report File No. 1-0033
ICAO Accident Digest No.14 Volume I, Circular 71-AN/63 (85-91)

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