Lockheed L-188 Electra - America's Most Controversial Airliner

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Often described as America's Comet, the Lockheed L-188 Electra was an exceptionally promising turboprop design, tailored rigorously to ensure that the resultant airframe was among the safest and most efficient designs ever built to fly.

Sadly, in the first 14 months of its operation, terrible similarities to the Comet disasters eight years earlier began to appear for the Electra, with three examples being lost in tragic accidents, two of which involved problems with the wings separating from the fuselage, leading to a collapse in public confidence in the L-188, and the premature end of its production run.

The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.

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References:
- Key Aero (and their respective references)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)

[tomholmes]

Reminding me of Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8. Prop came off over the North Pacific. Keep up with the great videos!!

[BMPellogia]

Varig Electras were used at the Rio de Janeiro - São paulo "air bridge", the second busiest route in the world at the time. At peak years some of them flew 66 flights per day. Varig operated electras from september 1962 to january 1992 without a single major accident or loss of life.

[pumpkindog]

Maybe it's like your first "love" (I thought it was love). It was the first big airplane I flew. I checked out as a copilot with about 1300 hrs total time, 60 hours of multi-engine time and 1.5 hrs in a Cessna 402b. 😳 It was not an easy transition but I made it. By the time we parted ways I was a captain and had about 3500 hrs on the Electra. It was an amazing airplane with some very advanced systems. Once the power was set to climb thrust it would would maintain the setting compensating for altitude. The pressurization system worked without fluctuations when power was changed and even on a hot day was capable of blowing snow out of the air vents. The electrical system was robust enough to operate a small city and worked automatically moving busses to the generator with the power. The propellers would not only synch (think speed), they would also phase which would position so that each prop was in a different position. When they went to phase it sounded like only one engine was running. Very smooth and quiet.

The operator I flew for was one of the worst. In one 7 day period I shutdown one engine 4 times and on the 7th day 3 engine ferried different a airplane. They only had 5 and that was the condition of 2.

The airplane flew like a big Aztec. It only required a thumb and 2 fingers on the yoke even in rough air. It was the largest, roomiest cockpit of my career, which included the B747. Each pilot had has own landing gear handle and his own set of thrust levers. It had lots of power and when light weight could out run most transport airplanes to 2 thousand feet. We would occasionally outrun a Southwest 737 flying from Dallas to Houston.

It was one of the easiest transport airplane I flew. It was my first love.

Sorry to go on so long.

[Robinbamv]

With 2000 hours on the Electra and another 14, 000 on other jet & turboprop types the Electra remains the nicest commercial aircraft to hand fly that I have experienced.

[jimw]

I loved flying the Electra on Air California flights between Oakland and San Diego, California back in the early 1970's. The flights cost less than those using the B-737 and the plane flew at 20, 000 feet with large windows. They provided great sightseeing flights for me.

[misterwhipple]

My uncle was an airline mechanic (and in the USAAF in WW II, ) and he said that the GM Allison turboprops were a vast improvement over the old radial engines in every way (oil and fuel consumption, noise, vibration, ease of maintenance) and then after that the true jet engines beat them all. He said that the mechanics were in love with the 707 and not a bit sorry to see the prop planes go! But he said that the Electra was a very good plane that was not given a fair chance.

[johnsixx]

Brazilian pilots cried when this plane retired from commercial aviation, The people who flew on this plane remember it with extreme affection, it was used a lot here in Brazil for commercial aviation in several different companies, remembered for its robustness And also being one of the safest planes with no major accidents during its 30 years of commercial activities here in Brazil

[johnbianchi]

I flew P-3s in the Pacific and love the plane. It was fast, maneuverable, and comfortable as long as you stayed out of bad weather. We'd spend 6-8 hours flying on two engines at 200 feet rigging ships in the South China Sea. Great airplane.

[paulgracey]

American octagenarian here: I well remember the L-188, but not so much the crashes you cite. There were so many other fatal airliner crashes during the 1950s in the U.S. that these did not stand out to the average news reader. But what did attract media attention was that these were not jets, at jet speeds, despite Eastern's appellation. The 707 got the favorable press, and even that one was chided for not coming into service as quickly as the revised version of the Comet. That is how I remember it, but thanks for your perspective.

[kenknight]

Flew on one of these out of Lake Tahoe in the summer, around 1980. A couple of ex Navy pilots announced that they had kicked the tires, lit the fires and we were off. High and hot we climbed like a scalded monkey. Noisy but a hell of great ride.

[gerardmoran]

As a boy in New York, I remember Eastern Electras flying into LGA. I always loved the sound and look of the Electra and was amazed a propeller driven airplane could cruise at more than 400mph. As mentioned, Eastern used the Electras for the DCA-LGA-BOS shuttle for many years and they matched the block times of jets. Now I live in CHS and once in a while a P-3 flies by and I enjoy the sound of those Allison engines.

[billyp]

The Orion would go onto being a phenomenally solid aircraft, and a speed demon. One of the fastest western multi engined propeller driven aircraft ever built (411 knots!).

[ttucro]

Very good info. I worked for Lockkheed in bldg. 309 and 310 while the Electra was modified. 1959 -1961.
They took about 10 feet out of the fuselage to convert it to the P3. I was not working on it but was involved with the P2V 5 and 7s during this period.

[brunogrieco]

I flew on the Rio-São Paulo Electra shuttle service. It was wonderful. They use to have a small lounge at the aft. Seats were very comfortable. I was very disappointed when they changed them to 737s. Not the same experience.

[JGCR]

Another parallel between the Comet and the Electra being that both were developed into very successful anti-submarine patrol aircraft, even if the Nimrod only saw service with the RAF and was never exported

[WAL_DC-B]

Back in June 1976 I flew on SAHSA's (Servicio Aereo de Honduras, SA or "Stay at Home, Stay Alive") Lockheed L-188 Electras between New Orleans, LA and Managua, Nicaragua and back. It was a nice, pleasant flight and I got to spend about an hour in the cockpit "jump seat" while flying to Nicaragua. Great video on the issues that faced the early Electras and thanks for sharing!

[whfowle]

I remember flights in Alaska between Anchorage and Shemya Island back in 71-72. The cross winds at Shemya often caused the C-141's to turn back because they could not land while the L-188's always put it on the ground. Sometimes, the cross winds were so bad I could watch the runway approach from my side window.

[beyond_the_infinite]

I worked as an avionics tech on P3Cs at NAS Alameda back in 80s. There is nothing like the sound of those Allison turboprops. Amazing aircraft.

[jonathanshumpert]

I am not old enough to have flown on the Electra, but I have flown on the U.S Navy P-3 Orion which were military version of the plane. I always liked the sound of the engines.

[gomerromer]

As the P3 Orion, this same basic airplane was made in hundreds and was flown for millions of hours with few problems.