An American Airlines Convair Crashes Near Albany, New York September 15, 1953

An American Airlines Convair 240 on its way from Boston to Chicago became the first air tragedy in the Albany, New York capitol area. The disaster was due in part to fog that would not lift on the morning of the crash. The plane ran into two separate radio towers after the pilot made an incorrect decision while waiting to land. Air traffic was another factor in the tragedy as were wing flaps that failed to deploy. The pilot of the Convair was familiar with the Albany area and had logged 2,000 hours in Convair aircraft.