Boeing's 'New' 307 Crashes in Water
ANN News-Spy Paul was the first to tell us: yesterday, around 1:15PM local time, the recently-restored Boeing 307 Stratoliner, NCC19903 ("World's Last 307 Stratoliner Restored by Boeing Volunteers," 06-21-01, ANN), went into the water off West Seattle, near Salty's Restaurant. All four men on board (a 60-year-old pilot, and three men in their forties) climbed out on a wing, and were picked up out of Elliott Bay by the Coast Guard, after the National Air and Space Museum's newest airliner got them safely down to the water. They were taken, in apparently perfect condition, to Harborview Medical Center.
Early reports say one pilot who watched the crash described the incident as "a perfect water landing," though it would have been happier heading back at Boeing Field (BFI). One witness offered this bit of insight to KING5, the NBC affiliate: "There was a huge splash."
Rumors of gear failure, followed by the loss of one of its four engines, are also being reported. The FAA has reported a mayday call from the 307 shortly after the beautiful restoration left Boeing Field; they haven't disclosed the context or content of the call.
The nose stopped in the mud; the rear half of the fuselage and the empennage stayed dry. Outlines of the wings are clearly visible from the helicopter shots. The photo attached here is from the Coast Guard. By late afternoon, the Stratoliner was being towed to shore, surrounded by anti-pollution teams. She was reportedly carrying about 1700 gallons of avgas when she took off; and the flight wasn't very long.
Boeing built only ten of the four-engined beauties, the first pressurized big airliners. This is the last one in the world.