Two Commercial Airliners Collide Above Brooklyn (Dec 17th 1960)

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Very well done article that shows that anything can happen anywhere. This kind of incident also happened in the Rockaways in 2001. Some very old school photos and video of FDNY operating at this incident.

The front page headline of the NY Times on December 17th, 1960 was accompanied by shocking photos of fuselage from a United Airlines plane and a TWA plane—it read: "127 DIE AS 2 AIRLINERS COLLIDE OVER CITY; JET SETS BROOKLYN FIRE, KILLING 5 OTHERS; SECOND PLANE CRASHES IN STATEN ISLAND."

ARTICLE: http://gothamist.com/2014/12/16/park_slope_plane_crash.php

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A few days after the plane crash, the USS Constellation an aircraft carrier under construction in the Brooklyn Navy Yard had a massive fire aboard. This was one of the most difficult fires ever fought, you know your having a bad day when your rubber boots are melting walking on the decks.

Being only a relatively short distance from the plane crash site. many of the same firefighters caught both tragedies.

An interesting note, Westchester Fire Departments supplied FDNY with breathing apparatus and spare bottles, due to the demand at the Constellation fire.

Also this week is the 17th anniversary of the Vandelia Avenue fire also in Brooklyn , where a Lieutenant and two firefighters were killed in a wind driven fire situation.

Naturally all happening just before Christmas