San Diego – Los Angeles – Chicago – New York

On June 17, 1948 at 12:41 PM, San Diego – Los Angeles – Chicago – New York experienced a crash involving Douglas DC-6, operated by United Airlines, with the event recorded near Mount Carmel Pennsylvania.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

43 people were known to be on board, 43 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 4, passengers on board: 39, passenger fatalities: 39, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is other causes. The airplane arrived in Chicago at 0952LT, en route from Los Angeles to New York City. At Chicago, the airplane was given a routine station inspection, serviced, loaded, and the flight departed for New York with a new crew at 1044. Aboard were 39 passengers, a crew of four, 2,568 pounds of cargo and 1,800 gallons of fuel, all properly loaded. The resulting total airplane weight was within the certificated gross weight. The airplane climbed en route to its planned altitude of 17,000 feet, proceeding on course, and at 1155 the captain reported to the company radio at LaGuardia Field, that the airplane was mechanically "okay” for a return trip. A routine report was made over Phillipsburg, PA, approximately 500 miles east of Chicago, at 1223, and at 1227 the crew made a routine acknowledgment of a clearance to descend en route to an altitude between 13,000 and 11,000 feet. Four minutes later, at 1231, the company radio operator at LaGuardia Field heard a voice which did not identify itself calling loudly and urgently. Another United crew in a DC-3, flying over the same route behind Flight 624 and at a different altitude, heard what they termed “screaming voices” calling "New York." Then, after an unintelligible transmission, “This is an emergency descent." Inasmuch as all other air carrier flights in the vicinity at this time were accounted for, this transmission undoubtedly emanated from Flight 624. The airplane was first observed by ground witnesses 31 miles northwest of the scene of the accident flying a southeasterly heading toward Shamokin, PA. The airplane flew over the Sunbury Airport, at approximately 4,000 feet above the ground on a southeasterly heading. Immediately north of Shamokin the airplane, then only 500 to 1,000 feet above the ground, described a shallow left turn. The course was toward constantly rising terrain, the hills around Sunbury being 900 feet in elevation and the hills around Shamokin being approximately 1,600 feet in elevation. Five miles east or beyond Shamokin the airplane, flying only 200 feet above the ground, entered a right climbing turn. As it passed to the north of Mount Carmel, the climbing turning attitude increased sharply. The airplane then struck a hillside at an elevation of 1,649 feet. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 43 occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration NC37506, MSN 42871, year of manufacture 1947.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 40.7968°, -76.4131°.