Unsolved Histories by KSL Podcasts
Forgotten 707 Crash in Boeing’s Backyard
December 17, 202440 min · 6,244 words
Show notes
A survivor recounts the final minutes aboard a Boeing 707 before it becomes the only jetliner ever to crash in Boeing’s home state of Washington. The next day, a man visits the crash scene with a camera, only to pack away his rare photos for decades.
Highlighted moments
By creating what was essentially a two-for-one prototype, Boeing hedged its bet. Still, the project was a daring, brilliant, and expensive move that could have bankrupted the company.
“number two, it broke, the pylon broke, and the engine, the front end of it fell down. And when it did that, it pulled the bottom of the fuel tank out, and that fuel hit that hot, hot jet engine, and it ignited that left wing.”
“I remember Jack Burke started to do something and Russ Baum hollered at him, you've done enough already and I'll just sit there and shut up.”
“In one photo, a man can be seen using a paint roller on a long extension handle to paint over the Brandniff logo on the jetliner's vertical stabilizer or tail. Painting over logos was standard practice after a crash in order to protect the airline's brand.”
Transcript
Transcript not available for this episode yet.