Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Constellation Engine Failure Photograph

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1959 photograph showing the failed engine of an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Model 1049 Super Constellation in flight somewhere over the east coast of the United States.

After World War II, leveraging the availability of surplus military aircraft and advancements in aviation technology, airlines sought to popularize air travel among middle-class Americans by expanding domestic routes and offering competitive pricing. To further stimulate interest, airlines collaborated with large industries to offer international trips to illustrate that traveling by plane was both accessible and aspirational. As a Lincoln-Mercury sales reward campaign in 1959, top car salesmen and their families won a trip to Bermuda. Abroad an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Model 1049 Super Constellation departing out of Washington National Airport (DCA), the aircraft experienced an engine failure and had to circle over the eastern coast of the United States to burn off fuel before returning to Washington, DC. Despite having a reputation for engine failures, overheating, and fires, Super Constellations were reliably used by airlines in the 1950s through the early 1960s.

Identifier

NASM.2025.0013

Date

1959

Provenance

Robert Lee Parks, Gift, 2025, NASM.2025.0013

Extent

.01 Cubic feet

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of one 8 x 10 inch color Kodachrome print depicting the right wing of an Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Model 1049 Super Constellation in flight somewhere over the east coast of the United States during a failed commercial flight to Bermuda in September 1959. Taken from a passenger cabin window, the photograph shows the propeller of Engine 3 stationary and feathered while Engine 4 is running normally.

Arrangement note

One item.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.

Restrictions

No restrictions on access

Citation

Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Constellation Engine Failure Photograph, NASM.2025.0013, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

Aeronautics
Lockheed Model 1049D Super Constellation

Type

Collection descriptions
Archival materials

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