Lockheed L-188 Electra

L-188 Electra
An L-188A Electra of Pacific Southwest Airlines.
Role	Turboprop airliner
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockheed Corporation
First flight	December 6, 1957
Introduction	1959
Status	In limited use[1]
Primary users	American Airlines Eastern Air Lines Braniff Airways National Airlines
Produced	1957–61
Number built	170
Variants	Lockheed P-3 Orion

The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes that led to expensive modifications to fix a design defect, no more were ordered. With its unique high power-to-weight ratio, huge propellers and very short wings (resulting in the majority of the wingspan being enveloped in propwash), large Fowler flaps which significantly increased effective wing area when extended, and four-engined design, the airplane had airfield performance capabilities unmatched by many jet transport aircraft even today—particularly on short runways and high field elevations. Turboprops were soon replaced by turbojets and many Electras were modified as freighters. Some Electras are still being used in various roles into the 21st century.^[1][2] The air-frame was also used as the basis for the much more successful Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

Development

Lockheed had established a strong position in commercial airliner production with its piston-engine Constellation series. Further development brought turboprop engines to the Constellation air-frame with the Lockheed L-1249 Super Constellation. In 1951, Lockheed was approached by Capital Airlines to develop a new turboprop airliner which was designated the YC-130, however there was no interest from any other carriers, so the design was dropped. Subsequently, Capital Airlines went on to order 60 British Vickers Viscounts.^[3] In 1954, as a result of American Airlines interest in developing a twin engine aircraft, the idea resurfaced and the company offered a twin-engine design now designated the CL-303. This newer design was a high-wing type and would allow for 60 to 70 passengers. Unfortunately, this design was also shelved for lack of interest from other carriers.^[3]

The following year, American Airlines revised its requirement to a four-engine design for 75 passengers with 2,000 miles (3,219 km) range.^[3] Lockheed proposed a new design, the CL-310 with a low wing and four Rolls-Royce Darts or Napier Elands.^[3] The CL-310 design met the American Airlines requirement, but failed to meet another interested carrier; Eastern Airlines. Their requirements were for a longer range, a minimum cruising speed of 350 mph and increased seating capacity to the 85 to 90 passenger level.^[3] Lockheed redesigned the CL-310 to use the Allison 501-D13, a civilian version of the T56 developed for the Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport.^[3] The air-frame was stretched to allow for more seats and handle the increased performance. This design was launched as the Model 188 with an order for 35 by American Airlines on June 8, 1955. This was followed by an Eastern Airlines for an order of 40 on September 27, 1955.^[3] The first aircraft took 26 months to complete and by that time Lockheed had orders for 129. The prototype, a Model 188A was completed and first flew on December 6, 1957, two months ahead of schedule.^[4][5] Lockheed was awarded a type certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on 22 August 1958. The first delivery was to Eastern Airlines on October 8, 1958 but it did not enter service until January 12, 1959.^[3][6]

L188C Electra of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operating a passenger service at Manchester Airport in 1963

An L-188CF of Atlantic Airlines

An Electra freighter of NWT Air at Vancouver Airport in August 1983

Lockheed L-188 Electra of TAN Airlines (Transportes Aéreos Nacionales S.A.) operating at Las Mercedes Airport, Managua, Nicaragua in 1970

In 1957 the United States Navy issued a requirement for an advanced maritime patrol aircraft. Lockheed proposed a development of the Electra that was later placed into production as the P-3 Orion, which saw much greater success — the Orion has been in continual front-line service for more than 50 years.

Design

The Model 188 Electra is a low-wing cantilever monoplane powered by four wing-mounted Allison 501-D13 turboprops. It has a retractable tricycle landing gear and a conventional tail. It has a cockpit crew of three and can carry 66 to 80 passengers in a mixed-class arrangement, although 98 could be carried in a high-density layout. The first variant was the Model 188A, followed by the longer-range 188C with room for 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L) more fuel and maximum take-off weight 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg) higher.

Operational history

Civilian operations

American Airlines was the launch customer. Eastern Airlines, Braniff Airways and Northwest Airlines followed. The Electra suffered a troubled start. Passengers of early aircraft complained of noise in the cabin forward of the wings, caused by propeller resonance.^[7] Lockheed redesigned the engine nacelles, tilting the engines upwards three degrees.^[7][8] The changes were incorporated on the production line by mid-1959 or as modification kits for the aircraft already built, and resulted in improved performance and a better ride for passengers.^[8][9]

Three aircraft were lost in fatal accidents between February 1959 and March 1960. After the third crash the FAA limited the Electra's speed until the cause could be determined.^[7]

After an extensive investigation, two of the crashes (in September 1959 and March 1960) were found to be caused by an engine mount problem. The mounts were not strong enough to damp a phenomenon called "whirl mode flutter" (analogous to the precession of a child's top as it slows down) that affected the outboard engine nacelles. When the oscillation was transmitted to the wings and the flutter frequency decreased to a point where it was resonant with the outer wing panels (at the same frequency, or harmonically related ones), violent up-and-down oscillation increased until the wings would tear themselves off.^[7][10][11] The company implemented an expensive modification program (the Lockheed Electra Achievement Program or LEAP) in which the engine mounts and the wing structures supporting the mounts were strengthened, and some of the wing skins replaced with thicker material.^[7] All Electras were modified at Lockheed's expense at the factory, the modifications taking 20 days for each aircraft. The changes were incorporated in later aircraft as built.^[7] However, the damage had been done, and the public lost confidence in the type. This and the smaller jets that were being introduced eventually relegated Electras to the smallest airlines. Production ended in 1961 after 170 had been built. Losses to Lockheed have been estimated as high as $57 million, not counting an additional $55 million in lawsuits.^[5] They continued to carry passengers into the 1980s, but most Electras now in use are freighters.

Many airlines in the US flew Electras, but the only European airline to order the type from Lockheed was KLM which used twelve between September 1959 and January 1969 in Europe and east to Saigon and Kuala Lumpur.

Air New Zealand L-188C Electra departing Sydney for Wellington in 1970 on the joint schedule with Qantas.

In the South Pacific, Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) and its successor Air New Zealand flew the Electra on trans-Tasman flights.^[12] In Australia Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) and Ansett each operated three Electras on the trunk routes between the Australian mainland state capital cities, and later to Port Moresby, from 1959 until 1971.^[9] Ansett had its three Electras converted to freighters in 1970-71 and continued to fly them until 1984.^[13] Qantas also operated four Electras on its routes to Hong Kong and Japan; to New Caledonia; and to New Guinea (until the New Guinea route was handed to Ansett and TAA); then later across the Indian Ocean to South Africa, and across the Tasman in competition with TEAL after that airline became 100% New Zealand-owned.^[12][14] The divestiture of TEAL's 50%-Australian shareholding was itself prompted by the Electra order, as TEAL wanted jet aircraft, but was forced by the Australian government to order Electras to standardise with Qantas.^[14][15][16] Three Qantas Electras were retired in the mid-1960s and the fourth in 1971.^[12]

Some Electras were sold to South American airlines, where, contrary to what had happened in the U.S., the Electra had highly successful operations, such as those of Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano and Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas;^[17] in both cases, the Electra ensured the airlines' international operations before they started using jets. Most notably, Varig from Brazil operated the Electra on the extremely busy Rio de Janeiro-São Paulo shuttle service (the so-called Ponte Aérea - "Air Bridge," in Portuguese) flawlessly for many years before the type was replaced by Boeing 737-300 and Fokker 100 jets in 1992, and mostly sold to then Zaïre the following year.^[18] The Electra became so iconic on that route that its retirement caused a commotion in Brazil, with extensive press coverage and many special tributes.^[19]

During the mid-1970s, several secondhand Electras were bought by travel clubs, including Adventurers and Shillelaghs. Others were retired from passenger service into air cargo use, 40 being modified by a subsidiary of Lockheed from 1968 with one or two large doors in the left side of the fuselage and a reinforced cabin floor.^[7] Air California and Pacific Southwest Airlines were still operating Electras for passenger service during the late 1970s into smaller airports in the western United States.

Military use

In 1973, the Argentine Navy bought three Electras equipped with cargo doors. These were used during the "Dirty War" to toss political prisoners into the Rio de La Plata, in the infamous death flights.^[20] The Electras were also used in transport duties during the Falklands War in 1982.

In 1983, after the retirement of its last SP-2H Neptune, the Argentine Navy bought further civilian Electra airframes, modified several for maritime patrol,^[21] and widely used them until their replacement by P-3s in 1994.^[22] One of the Argentine Navy's Electras, known locally as L-188W Electron (for electronic warfare), is preserved at the Argentine Naval Aviation Museum (MUAN) at Bahía Blanca.

Variants

L-188A

Initial production version

L-188AF (All Freight version)

Unofficial designation for freighter conversions of L-188A carried out under a supplementary type certificate.

L-188PF (Passenger-Freight version)

Unofficial designation for freighter conversions of L-188A carried out under a supplementary type certificate.

L-188C

Long-range version with increased fuel capacity (6,940 gallon fuel capacity from 5,450 gallons on L-188A) and a higher operating gross weight (Maximum takeoff weight is 116,000 lb compared to 113,000 lb of the "A" version)

L-188CF

Unofficial designation for freighter conversion of L-188C carried out under a supplementary type certificate.

YP-3A Orion

One Orion aerodynamic test bed, fuselage shortened by seven feet.

Operators

Current operators

As of January 2016, a total of 13 Electra's remain in active service with 3 Canadian companies. Buffalo Airways shows 6 registered and currently operates 2 as freighters and 1 as an airtanker with another 1 undergoing conversion; another 14 show registered to Air Spray, with 8 in active service as airtankers;^[1] and finally 3 show registered to Conair Group,^[23] with 1 in active service as an airtanker.^[24] All three companies are expected to convert additional air frames into airtankers in the future.

 Canada

• Air Spray (aerial firefighting)
• Buffalo Airways (cargo & aerial firefighting)
• Conair Group (aerial firefighting)

Former civilian operators

Australia Ansett Airlines Qantas Trans Australia Airlines  Austria Amerer Air  Bolivia Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano  Brazil Varig[25]  Canada International Jetair (defunct) Northwest Territorial Airways[26] (defunct) Nordair[27] (defunct)  Colombia SAM Colombia AeroCóndor[28]  Republic of the Congo Trans Service Airlift  Costa Rica APSA Lacsa  Ecuador Ecuatoriana de Aviación Transportes Aereos Nacionales Ecuatorianos (TAME)[29]  El Salvador TACA International Airlines  Guyana Guyana Airways  Honduras SAHSA[30] Transportes Aereos Nacionales (TAN Airlines)[31]  Hong Kong Cathay Pacific Airways

Indonesia Garuda Indonesia Airlines Mandala Airlines(Closed)  Ireland Hunting Cargo Airlines  Laos Royal Air Lao  Mexico Banco de México (corporate aircraft)  Netherlands KLM  Netherlands Antilles Air ALM  Norway Fred. Olsen Airtransport[32] Nordic Air[32]  New Zealand Air New Zealand TEAL  Panama Copa Airlines[33]  Paraguay Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas[34]  Peru Líneas Aéreas Nacionales SA  Philippines Air Manila International  São Tomé and Príncipe  Sweden Falcon Air West Air Sweden  Taiwan Winner Airways (one L-188A leased from Eastern Air Lines for only 2 months in 1970)

United Kingdom Air Bridge Carriers Atlantic Airlines Channel Express  United States Air California[35] Air Florida Air Southwest[36] American Airlines Braniff International Airways Denver Ports of Call Eastern Air Lines Evergreen International Airlines[37] Federal Aviation Administration Fairbanks Air Service Great Northern Airlines[38] Gulf Air Transport Hawaiian Airlines[39] (all cargo freighter versions) Holiday Airlines Intermountain Airlines Johnson International Airlines McCulloch International Airlines NASA National Airlines National Center for Atmospheric Research[40] Northwest Airlines Overseas National Airways Pacific Southwest Airlines[41] Reeve Aleutian Airways[42] (passenger/cargo "Combi" versions) Saturn Airways Shillelagh Travel Club[43] Southeast Airlines Trans International Airlines,[44] later became Transamerica Airlines TPI International Airways Western Airlines Zantop International Airlines[45]  Zaire Karibu Airways Trans Service Airlift

Military operators

 Argentina

• Argentine Naval Aviation

 Bolivia

• Bolivian Air Force - 1 from 1973, still in use in 1987.^[46]

 Ecuador

• TAME

 Honduras

• Honduran Air Force - one 188A from 1979

 Mexico

• Mexican Air Force - one 188A from 1978 to 1987.

 Panama

• Panamanian Air Force - One 188C from 1973 to 1984.

Orders

Model 188A

• Eastern Airlines ordered 40 188As which were delivered between November 1958 and August 1959, the last five as 188Cs.^[47]
• American Airlines ordered 35 188As which were delivered between November 1958 and March 1960.^[47]
• National Airlines ordered 14 188As which were delivered between April 1959 and January 1961.^[47]
• Ansett-ANA ordered three 188As which were delivered to Australia in February 1959, April 1959 and February 1960.^[12][47]
• Braniff ordered nine 188As which were delivered between April 1959 and January 1960.^[47]
• Western Airlines ordered 12 188As which were delivered between May 1959 and February 1961.^[47]
• Trans Australia Airlines ordered three 188As which were delivered to Australia between June 1959 and August 1960.^[47]
• General Motors ordered one 188A which was delivered in July 1958.^[47]

Model 188C

• Northwest Orient Airlines ordered 18 188Cs which were delivered between July 1959 and June 1961.^[47]
• Pacific Southwest Airlines ordered three 188Cs which were delivered in November and December 1959.^[47]
• Capital Airlines ordered five 188Cs but later cancelled the order, the five aircraft were sold to other operators.^[47]
• Qantas ordered four 188Cs which were delivered to Australia between October and December 1959.^[47]
• KLM ordered 12 188Cs which were delivered to the Netherlands between September 1959 and December 1960.^[47]
• Tasman Empire Airways ordered three 188Cs which were delivered to New Zealand in October and December 1959.^[47]
• Garuda ordered three 188Cs which were delivered to Indonesia in January 1961.^[47]

Survivors

This is a list of surviving Lockheed L-188 Electras, including both active and on display or stored aircraft.^[48]

Active

• 1038 C-FDTH Air Spray Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #498 (ex C-GKIL, N344HA)
• 1103 C-FLJO Air Spray Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #482
• 1130 C-FLXT Air Spray Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #481
• 1006 C-FVFH Air Spray Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #489
• 1060 C-FZCS Air Spray Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #487
• 2007 C-GHZI Air Spray Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #484
• 1091 C-GZCF Air Spray Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #490
• 1036 C-GZVM Air Spray Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #485
• 1039 C-FBAQ Buffalo Airways Tanker - undergoing conversion into second airtanker (as of March 2016)
• 2010 C-FIJX Buffalo Airways Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #416
• 1100 C-GXFC Buffalo Airways Freighter - in use for Cargo and Bulk Fuel Transport
• 1144 C-GZFE Buffalo Airways Freighter - in use for Cargo and Bulk Fuel Transport
• 1143 C-FYYJ Conair Group Tanker - in use for firefighting; Tanker #60 (ex G-LOFD)

Stored

• 1133 C-GJTZ Air Spray seen stored Red Deer 5/13; (basic Zantop col; ex N290F)
• 1082 C-FVFI Air Spray derelict Red Deer, parted out for spares
• 1028 C-GNPB Air Spray seen stored Red Deer 5/13; (ex Honduran 555FAH^[49])
• 1053 C-GOIZ Air Spray seen stored Red Deer 5/12; (basic Zantop col; ex N343HA)
• 1112 C-GYVI Air Spray hangared at Red Deer 2015; Tanker #83
• 1124 C-GZYH Air Spray seen stored at Red Deer 5/12
• 1102 0691(6-P105 & 5-T-1) Argentine Navy stored engineless, Naval Air Base Trelew, still seen 24.10.15 (wfu 1998^[50] w/ 36,396 tt)
• 1067 0791(6-P-102) Argentine Navy stored engineless, Naval Air Base Trelew, still seen 24.10.15 (wfu 1995^[51] w/ 38,700 tt)
• 1070 790(6-P-103) Argentine Navy stored engineless, Naval Air Base Trelew, still seen 24.10.15 (wfu 1998^[52][53] w/ 38,328 tt)
• 1140 C-FIJV Buffalo Airways seen stored at Red Deer 6.9.13 with many parts missing
• 1145 C-GLBA Buffalo Airways stored Red Deer without engines
• 1138 C-GYCG Conair stored Abbotsford in Atlantic col., used for spares
• 2014 G-FIZU Conair stored Abbotsford in full Atlantic col., complete (w/ Hamilton Standard Propellers)
• 1084 N282F Rockland Aerospace ferried YIP - Keystone Heights Airpark, FL 11.4.15; sold to Buffalo Airways USA
• 1146 N286F Rockland Aerospace ferried YIP - Keystone Heights Airpark, FL 10.9.14; stored without engines, sold to Buffalo Airways USA
• 1109 N340HA Rockland Aerospace ferried YIP - Keystone Heights Airpark, FL 29.1.15; sold to Buffalo Airways USA
• 1043 N346HA Rockland Aerospace ferried YIP - Keystone Heights Airpark, FL 14.11.14, stored without engines; s/t Buffalo Airways USA
• 1125 TAM01 Transporte Aereo Militar stored La Paz - Poor Condition
• 1131 G-LOFB Atlantic Airlines Fuel tank pressure test failure 2/10, wfu Coventry - may be repaired^[54]
• 1079 N281F Anchorage Airport Fire Department wfu ANC; registration cancelled 7.2.05 - Wreck, used for firefighter training^[55]
• 1032 ZP-CBX LAP - Poor condition (derelict) Asuncion, Paraguay
• 1078 ZP-CBY LAP - Poor condition (derelict) Asuncion, Paraguay
• 1147 XA-AEG Mex Jet Cargo seen wfu at Panama-Tocumen 11/07, damaged beyond repair 29.3.07 when one engine hit GPU during start up
• 1073 9Q-CTO ATO not visible anymore 2013 in FIH storage area, possibly scrapped 2012 - confirmation needed

Preserved & display

• 1122 693(5-T-3) ex Argentine Navy reassembled and preserved again Buenos Aires City near junction of "9 de Abril" and Route No. 4^[56]
• 1025 PP-VJM Museo Aeroespacial preserved Rio de Janeiro in full Varig colours
• 1120 0692(6-P-106 & 5-T-2) Museo de la Aviacion Naval preserved Bahia Blanca^[57] (wfu 1998 w/ 32,267 tt)
• 1071 792(2-P-101) Museo de la Aviacion Naval preserved Bahia Blanca^[58]
• 1072 0793(6-P-104) Museo de la Aviacion Naval preserved Bahia Blanca since 4/08^[59][60] (wfu 2002 w/ 34,581 tt)
• 1003 N428NA (ex NASA) This was the first P3 Orion Prototype. It was converted from an existing L188 Electra airframe into the YP3V-1/YP-3A Orion. It was later converted into the NP-3A by United States Naval Research Laboratory, then used by NASA for the Earth Resources Observation Program.^[61] Preserved at the National Naval Aviation Museum, Forrest Sherman Field, Pensacola, Florida (w/ Hamilton Standard Propellers)

Accidents and incidents

Of the total of 170 Electras built, as of June 2011, 58 have been written off because of crashes and other accidents.^[62]

• February 3, 1959: American Airlines Flight 320 en route from Chicago to New York City crashed on approach, killing 65 of 73 on board.^[63][64]
• September 29, 1959: A Braniff Electra (Braniff Flight 542) crashed in Buffalo, Texas en route to Dallas, Texas from Houston, Texas. All 29 passengers and five crew members died in the crash. The Civil Aeronautics Board blamed the crash on the "whirl-mode" prop theory and in-flight separation of a wing from the aircraft.^[65][66]
• March 17, 1960: Northwest Orient Flight 710, en route from Chicago to Miami, Florida, broke apart in flight over Perry County, Indiana, in the second "whirl-mode" crash. All 63 people on board were killed (57 passengers and six crew members).^[7][67]
• September 14, 1960: An Electra operated as American Airlines Flight 361 caught its landing gear on a dike while landing at LaGuardia Airport. The aircraft came to rest upside down. There were no fatalities amongst the 76 occupants (70 passengers, six crew).^[68][69]
• October 4, 1960: Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 crashed on takeoff from Boston, Massachusetts's Logan International Airport, killing 62 of 72 on board. The crash was eventually determined to be the result of bird ingestion into three of the four engines.^[70]
• June 12, 1961: KLM Flight 823 crashed short of the runway at Cairo killing 20 of the 36 on board.^[71]
• September 17, 1961: Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 706 crashed on takeoff from Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, killing all 37 on board. The crash was eventually determined to be the result of mechanical failure in the aileron primary control system due to the improper replacement of the aileron boost assembly.^[72]
• March 27, 1965: While on a training flight, a Tasman Empire Airways L-188 crashed while landing at Whenuapai airport in Auckland, New Zealand. Although the aircraft was completely destroyed, all occupants escaped with only one minor injury.^[73]
• April 22, 1966: American Flyers Flight 280 crashed into a hill on approach to Ardmore Municipal Airport in Oklahoma, killing all five crew and 78 of the 93 passengers on board.
• February 16, 1967: Garuda Indonesia Airways Flight 708 crashed while attempting to land at Manado-Sam Ratulangi Airport. A total of 22 of 92 passengers and crew on board were killed. The crash was eventually determined to be the result of an awkward landing technique resulting in an excessive rate of sink on touchdown. Marginal weather at the time of landing was a contributing factor.^[74]
• May 3, 1968: Braniff Flight 352, en route from Houston to Dallas, disintegrated over Dawson, Texas. All 80 passengers and five crew members were killed. This was the worst air disaster in Texas at the time. The probable cause found by the National Transportation Safety Board was excessive loads put upon the airframe resulting from loss of control in thunderstorm turbulence.^[75]
• August 9, 1970: LANSA Flight 502 crashed shortly after takeoff from Quispiquilla Airport near Cusco, Peru, killing 99 of the 100 people on board, plus two people on the ground. The co-pilot was the only survivor.^[76]
• December 24, 1971: LANSA Flight 508, en route from Lima to Pucallpa, Peru, entered an area of strong turbulence and lightning and disintegrated in midair due to structural failure following a lightning strike and fire. Of the 92 people on board, 91 were killed.^[77] One passenger, Juliane Koepcke, survived the crash.
• June 4, 1976: An Air Manila 188A (RP-C1061) crashed just after takeoff from the Guam Naval Air Station, killing the 45 occupants and one person on the ground.^[78][79]
• On November 18, 1979, Transamerica Airlines L-188 (N859U), operating a flight for the US military (Logair 3N18) from Hill Air Force Base, crashed near Salt Lake City airport, Utah. While climbing between 12,000 and 13,000 ft, all electrical power was lost; the crew requested an immediate descent. The aircraft attained a high airspeed and a high rate of descent and the aircraft disintegrated in flight killing all three crew members. The NTSB investigation stated the probable cause was a progressive failure of the aircraft electrical system leading to the disabling or erratic performance of flight critical flight instruments and lighting. As a result, the crew became disoriented and lost control of the aircraft. The crew's efforts to regain control of the aircraft imposed loads which exceeded the design limits and caused it to break up in flight.
• On 8 June 1983, Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8's propeller separated from the aircraft and tore a hole in the fuselage over the Pacific Ocean causing an explosive decompression and loss of control. The pilots managed to land the aircraft safely at Anchorage, Alaska and all 15 passengers and crew survived. Since the propeller fell into the sea the cause of the separation is undetermined.
• May 30, 1984, Zantop International Airlines Flight 931, a Lockheed L-188AF Electra (N5523) flying regularly scheduled cargo service from Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) to Detroit-Willow Run Airport (YIP), crashed at Chalkhill, Pennsylvania killing all three crew members and the sole passenger. While cruising at FL220, at approximately 01:44 AM, the aircraft entered an unusual attitude shortly after a course change. During efforts to recover the aircraft the pilots imposed loads on the airframe that exceeded the aircraft's design limits and it broke apart at altitude. NTSB reported that in-flight problems with the aircraft's gyros likely provided conflicting attitude data to the flight crew at the time of the upset and this, combined with a lack of visual cues, were contributing causes of the accident.^[80]
• January 21, 1985: Chartered Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashed after takeoff from Reno-Cannon International Airport en route to Minneapolis, Minnesota, killing 70 of the 71 people on board.^[81]
• December 18, 1995: An overloaded 188C of Trans Service Airlift crashed near Cahungula, Angola with the loss of 141 of the 144 occupants.^[82]
• July 16, 2003: An Air Spray Lockheed L-188 Electra (Tanker #86 C-GFQA) crashed and was destroyed at Cranbrook British Columbia shortly after delivering the retardant load. Tanker 86 was seen to turn right initially, then entered a turn to the left. At 1221 MST, the Electra struck the terrain on the side of a steep ridge at about 3900 feet above sea level. The aircraft exploded on impact and the two pilots were fatally injured. An intense post-crash fire consumed much of the wreckage and started a forest fire at the crash site and the surrounding area.^[83]

Specifications (Model 188A)

Data from Lockheed Aircraft since 1913^[84]

General characteristics

• Crew: Five (3 flight deck)
• Capacity: 98 passengers
• Payload: 33,800 lb (15331 kg)
• Length: 104 ft 6 in (31.85 m)
• Wingspan: 99 ft 0 in (30.18 m)
• Height: 32 ft 10 in (10.00 m)
• Wing area: 1,300 sq ft (120.8 m²)
• Empty weight: 57,400 lb (26,036 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 113,000 lb (51,256 kg)
• Powerplant: 4 × Allison 501-D13 turboprop engines, 3,750 eshp (2,800 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 390 knots (448 mph, 721 km/h) at 12,000 ft (3,660 m)
• Cruise speed: 324 knots (373 mph, 600 km/h)
• Range: 1,913 nmi (2,200 mi, 3,540 km) with maximum payload, 2,409 nmi, 2,770 mi, 4,455 km with 17,500 lb (7,938 kg) payload
• Service ceiling: 32,000 ft (9,753 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,970 ft/min (10 m/s)

See also

• Lockheed Model 10 Electra, an unrelated piston-engine airliner with the same name

Related development

• Lockheed P-3 Orion
• Lockheed CP-140 Aurora
• Lockheed P-7

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Antonov An-10
• Antonov An-12
• Bristol Britannia
• Canadair CL-44
• Ilyushin Il-18
• Vickers Vanguard
• Vickers Viscount

References

Notes

1. "The Air Spray fleet". Air Spray. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
2. Flight International 2011, p. 22.
3. Francillon 1982, pp. 396–397.
4. Francillon 1982, p. 398.
5. Rumerman, Judy. "Lockheed in Mid-Century." centennialofflight.net, 2003. Retrieved: July 17, 2010.
6. "Issue 21 - Lockheed Martin: Airliner to submarine hunter - Aviation Classics Magazine". www.aviationclassics.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
7. Allen 1995, p. 155.
8. Allen 1995, p. 159.
9. Allen 1995, p. 161.
10. Lee, Stuart. "Lockheed Electra: Killer Airliner (Part 2)." cs.clemson.edu. Retrieved: 17 July 2010.
11. "Lessons of a turboprop inquest." Flight 17 February 1961, p. 225.
12. Allen 1995, p. 162.
13. Allen 1995, pp. 161–162.
14. Brimson 1984, pp. 190–193.
15. Allen 1995, p. 158.
16. Brimson 1984, pp. 160–165.
17. "LAP - Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas" (in Portuguese). 2009-09-15. Retrieved 2014-12-22.
18. Sousa, Joselito (2010-02-26). "As aventuras com o Electra na África – "Causos" Parte 2" [Adventures with the Electra in Africa - Stories, Part 2] (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2014-12-22.
19. Beting, Gianfranco. "Electra II". Arquivo Jetsite (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2014-12-22.
20. Martinez, Diego. "Aviones de la muerte (In Spanish)". Pagina 12, September 6, 2009. Retrieved on 6 March 2010.
21. "Official site picture (Notice all the windows compared to the P-3 Orion). Aviones de Exploración, Amarda Argentina. Retrieved: March 6, 2010.
22. Gaggero, Pablo J. "La Armada renueva su flota aérea para el control del mar (In Spanish)." La Nación, January 25, 1999. Retrieved: March 6, 2010.
23. System, Government of Canada; Transport Canada; Civil Aviation; General Aviation; Aircraft Registration and Leasing; Canadian Civil Aircraft Register; General Aviation System; Civil Aviation (2013-08-28). "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register". Retrieved 2016-02-08.
24. "Aircraft" Conair Group.Retrieved: January 4, 2014
25. Endres 1979, pp. 333–334.
26. Endres 1979, p. 40–41.
27. Endres 1979, p. 38.
28. Endres 1979, p. 154.
29. Endres 1979, p. 152.
30. Endres 1979, p. 163.
31. Endres 1979, p. 164.
32. Hagby 1998, p. 55.
33. Endres 1979, p. 162.
34. Endres 1979, p. 416.
35. Endres 1979, p. 192.
36. Flight International, 10 April 1969, p.557
37. Endres 1979, p. 230.
38. Endres 1979, p. 238.
39. Endres 1979, p. 239.
40. NCAR Electra specs Retrieved 20 October 2012
41. Endres 1979, p. 256.
42. Endres 1979, p. 264.
43. "Shillelagh Travel Club: L188C N125US." Airliners.net. Retrieved: July 17, 2010.
44. Endres 1979, pp. 280–281.
45. Endres 1979, p. 298.
46. Siegrist 1987, pp. 174–175.
47. Eastwood 1990, pp. 313–324.
48. http://www.aviation-friends-cologne.de/listings/lockheed-electra-l188-listing.html
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54. "Coventry Airport 10 May 2013 | North West Air News". derbosoft.proboards.com. Retrieved 2016-02-18.
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61. https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/apollo.photechnqs2.pdf
62. "Lockheed Model 188 page." Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved: June 29, 2011.
63. Flight, February 13, 1959, p. 231.
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65. "Accident Synopsis: 09291959." AirDisaster.Com. Retrieved: July 17, 2010.
66. Accident description for "The September 29, 1959 accident of Lockheed L-188A Electra N9705C at Buffalo, TX." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
67. Accident description for "The March 17, 1960 accident of Lockheed L-188C Electra N121US at Cannelton, IN." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
68. "Electra Airliner Flips at LaGuardia, Burns; 76 Aboard Walk Out". Schenectady Gazette (Schenectady, New York). September 15, 1960. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
69. "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-188 Electra N6127A New York-LaGuardia Airport, NY (LGA)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network / Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
70. Accident description for "The October 4, 1960 accident of Lockheed L-188A Electra N5533 at Boston-Logan International Airport, MA (BOS)." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
71. Accident description for "The June 12, 1961 accident of Lockheed L-188C Electra PH-LLM at Cairo International Airport (CAI)." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
72. Accident description for "The September 17, 1961 accident of Lockheed L-188C Electra N137US at Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD)." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
73. "Lockheed Electra L-188 crash." Tasman Empire Airways Limited, 2001. Retrieved: September 17, 2013.
74. Accident description for "The February 16, 1967 accident of Lockheed L-188C Electra PK-GLB at Manado-Sam Ratulangi Airport (MDC)." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
75. Accident description for "The May 3, 1968 accident of Lockheed L-188A Electra N9707C at Dawson, TX." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 16, 2010.
76. Accident description for "The August 9, 1970 accident of Lockheed L-188A Electra OB-R-939 at Cuzco Airport (CUZ)." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
77. Accident description for "The December 24, 1971 accident of Lockheed L-188A Electra OB-R-941 at Puerto Inca." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
78. NTSB report # AAR-77-06.
79. Accident description for "The June 4, 1976 accident of Lockheed L-188A Electra RP-C1061 at Guam-Agana NAS (NGM)." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on June 29, 2011.
80. Accident description for Zantop International Airlines Flight 931 at the Aviation Safety Network
81. Accident description for "The January 21, 1985 accident of Lockheed L-188A Electra N5532 at Reno/Tahoe International Airport, NV (RNO)." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 16, 2010.
82. Accident description for "The December 18, 1995 accident of Lockheed L-188C Electra 9Q-CRR at Cahungula." at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 17, 2010.
83. CADORS report for Air Spray (Tanker #86 C-GFQA)
84. Francillon 1982, p. 403.

Bibliography

• "2010 World Airliner Census". Flight International, August 24–30, 2010, pp. 29–49.
• "2011 World Airliner Census". Flight International
• "Air Commerce: The New York Tragedy". Flight, February 13, 1959, p. 231.
• Allen, Eric. Airliners in Australian Service, Volume 1. Weston Creek ACT: Aerospace Publications, 1995. ISBN 1-875671-14-5.
• Brimson, Samuel. Flying the Royal Mail: The History of Australia's Airlines. Sydney, Australia: Dreamweaver Books, 1984. ISBN 0-949825-05-0.
• Eastwood, Tony and John Roach. Turbo Prop Airliner Production List. West Drayton, Middlesex, UK: The Aviation Hobby Shop, 1990. ISBN 0-907178-32-4.
• Endres, Günter G. World Airline Fleets 1979. Hounslow, UK: Airline Publications and Sales Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-905117-53-0.
• Francillon, René J. Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. London: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30329-6.
• Hagby, Kay . Fra Nielsen & Winther til Boeing 747 (in Norwegian). Drammen, Norway. Hagby, 1998. ISBN 8-2-9947-520-1.
• Siegrist, Martin. "Bolivian Air Power — Seventy Years On". Air International, Vol. 33, No. 4, October 1987. pp. 170–176, 194. ISSN 0306-5634.

Further reading

• Nuñez Padin, Jorge (2006). Lockheed L-188 Electra. Serie Aeronaval (in Spanish and English) Nº20. Retrieved May 6, 2014.

External links

• Information, Pictures and Production List
• Engineering Summary of Propeller Whirl on the Electra
• Kiwanis Electra Memorial website
• NTSB Report on 1968 Braniff N9707C Crash
• "Lockheed Electra" a 1955 Flight article