Mohawk Airlines Flight 121

Mohawk Airlines Flight 121 crashed during takeoff from Rochester-Monroe Airport for Newark International Airport on July 2, 1963, killing 7 people and injuring 36.

Mohawk Airlines Flight 121

A Martin 4-0-4 similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date	July 2, 1963
Summary	Pilot error, bad weather as a contributing factor
Site	Rochester, NY 43°07′24″N 77°40′32″W
Aircraft type	Martin 4-0-4
Operator	Mohawk Airlines, Inc.
Registration	N449A
Passengers	40
Crew	3
Fatalities	7
Injuries	36
Survivors	36

The aircraft, a Martin 4-0-4 with a total of 15,970 hours in flight, attempted to take off on runway 28 into a heavy thunderstorm. The pilot was unable to maintain control, and the plane came back down. The left wing hit the ground, and the aircraft cartwheeled wing-over-wing and caught fire, killing seven people on board: two crew members and five passengers. The weather forecast at the time was found to be accurate. The NTSB found the cause of the accident to be the pilot's decision to take off in bad weather, and cited the weather itself as a contributing factor. The captain had tried to refuse to take off due to poor weather conditions, but was told he would be demoted if he did not to take off, as he had twice previously refused to take off in bad weather. Two minutes after takeoff, strong winds battered the aircraft, and it tumbled to the ground. The co-pilot had lost control of the aircraft, but would not let up on the controls, so the pilot took over and managed to position the plane to save most of the passengers.