United Airlines Flight 297

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United Airlines Flight 297
Summary
Date   November 23, 1962
Type   Bird Strike
Site   near Ellicott City, Maryland
Fatalities   17
Injuries   0
Aircraft
Aircraft type   Vickers Viscount 745D
Operator   United Airlines
Tail number   N7430
Passengers   13
Crew   4
Survivors   0

United Airlines Flight 297, a Vickers Viscount 745D, was a scheduled flight from Newark International Airport (EWR/KEWR) in Newark, New Jersey to Washington, D.C. with 17 people on board.

On November 23, 1962 at approximately 12:24 P.M. EDT, it crashed near Ellicott City, Maryland after striking a flock of whistling swans while cruising at 6,000 ft. (1,800 m). The bird strike caused the horizontal stabilizer to separate, leading to loss of control and the crash which killed all on board. The crew were Captain Milton J. Balog, Copilot Robert J. Lewis, and Stewardesses Mary Kay Klein and Kaaren G. Brent. Captain Balog had been with Capital Airlines, which had operated Viscount N7430 (s/n 128) prior to Capital's merger with United.

[edit] Note

United Airlines uses the 297 flight designation for the BWI Airport (BWI/KBWI) in Baltimore, Maryland to the San Francisco International Airport (SFO/KSFO) in San Francisco, California flight route.