35 Years Ago, A Mid-Air Collision Over Merion School Killed Sen. Heinz And Six Others
April 4, will mark the 35th anniversary of the mid-air collision over Merion School that killed Senator John Heinz and six others. On the day after the crash, according to the New York Times, “The collision came after the Senator’s plane reported a problem with its landing gear and the helicopter offered to fly nearby to see whether the gear was down for a landing, according to preliminary reports from aviation officials in Washington.”
In 2016, Harriton High School’s Ricky Sayer created this video to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Merion School Tragedy,
In September of 1991, The Morning Call Reported that “federal investigators yesterday blamed the pilots of both craft, saying they used ‘appallingly poor judgment’ in flying close together.” The Morning Call also wrote that ” ‘This maneuver wasn’t necessary at all,’ investigator Tom Haueter told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). ‘There was nothing to be gained by a close inspection.’
Haueter said the plane’s pilot should have known the plane’s gear was down.
‘He had all the information he needed,’ Haueter said. ‘We (NTSB investigators) believe that, basically, he should have done the landing.’
The NTSB faulted Lycoming Air Services Inc., the Williamsport-area operator of the airplane, for its pilots’ fatal lack of knowledge of their craft.
And the board blamed the helicopter pilot for not keeping the craft safely apart.”
Two Merion School First Graders Were Killed
Rachel Blum and Lauren Freundlich were first-graders then, at Merion School. While most of the students were still inside the building having lunch, they had the misfortune of getting outside to play early, and were among the seven fatalities resulting from the crash.