The Crash of the Boston Electra

201 Pages·2010·1.2 MB·English

The Story of
Man and Bird
in Conflict
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Bird Strike

Bird
The Crash of the
Boston Electra
Strike
michael n. kalafatas
Brandeis University Press
Waltham, Massachusetts
published by
university press of new england
hanover and london
Brandeis University Press
Published by University Press of New England
One Court Street, Lebanon NH 03766
www.upne.com
© 2010 Brandeis University
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Designed by Katherine B. Kimball
Typeset in Scala by Integrated Publishing Solutions
University Press of New England is a member of the
Green Press Initiative. The paper used in this book
meets their minimum requirement for recycled paper.
For permission to reproduce any of the material in
this book, contact Permissions, University Press of
New England, One Court Street, Lebanon NH 03766;
or visit www.upne.com
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Kalafatas, Michael N.
Bird strike : the crash of the Boston Electra /
Michael N. Kalafatas.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-58465-897-9 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Aircraft bird strikes—Massachusetts—
Boston. 2. Aircraft accidents —Massachusetts—
Boston. 3. Electra (Turboprop transports) I. Title.
TL553.525.M4K35 2010
363.12(cid:2)465—dc22 2010013165
5 4 3 2 1
Across the veil of time,
for the passengers and crew of Eastern Airlines Flight 375,
and for my grandchildren: may they fl y in safe skies

The bell- beat of their wings above my head.
—w. b. yeats, “The Wild Swans at Coole”

Contents
Preface: A Clear and Present Danger xi
1. Appointment in Samarra 1
2. Crimson Sunset 5
3. Fading October Light 25
4. The Case of the Boston Electra 59
5. Sharing the Skies: The Problems 92
6. Sharing the Skies: The Solutions 131
7. The Making of a Patron Saint 143
Epilogue: Mozart and the Starling 167
Acknowledgments 169
Vital Statistics of the Boston Electra 173
Select Bibliography 175
Illustrations follow page 98