Sabena Flight 548 crashed on landing approach to Brussels, Belgium, on February 15, 1961, killing all 72 persons on board as well as one person on the ground. The crash was the first fatality involving a Boeing 707 in regular service (three 707s had crashed previously during training or test flights). It was notable because the dead included the entire United States Figure Skating team who were en route to the 1961 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.

The plane, OO-SJB, was a Boeing 707-329 operated by Belgian air operator Sabena, which had departed from Idlewild Airport in New York City. There was no indication of trouble on board the plane until it approached the Brussels airport. The pilot had to circle the airport while waiting for a small plane to clear the runway. Then, according to eyewitnesses, the plane began to climb and bank erratically and crashed suddenly in a field near the hamlet of Berg. The jet burst into flames, killing all aboard instantly. A farmer working in the fields was killed by a piece of aluminum shrapnel, and another farmer had his leg amputated by flying debris from the plane. King Baudouin I of Belgium and his consort, Queen Fabiola, rushed to the scene of the disaster and provided comfort to the families of the local farmers who had died and been injured. The exact cause of the crash was never determined, although the FAA reported that the most likely hypothesis was failure of the stabilizer adjusting mechanism.

All 18 athletes of the 1961 U.S. figure skating team and 16 family members, coaches, and officials died in the crash. The dead included, most notably, 9-time U.S. ladies' champion Maribel Vinson-Owen and her two daughters, reigning U.S. ladies' champion Laurence Owen, reigning U.S. pairs champions Maribel Y. Owen and her partner Dudley Richards, reigning U.S. men's champion Bradley Lord, U.S. men's silver medalist Gregory Kelley, U.S. ladies' silver medalist Stephanie Westerfeld and U.S. ice dancing champions Diane C. Sherbloom and Larry Pierce. The loss of the U.S. team was considered so catastrophic for the sport that the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships were cancelled.

President Kennedy issued a statement of condolence from the White House. He was particularly shocked by the disaster. One of the skaters killed in the crash, Dudley Richards, was a personal friend of his and Ted Kennedy from summers spent at Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

U.S. Figure Skating Association President F. Ritter Shumway, in office less than two months at the time of the accident, established the USFSA Memorial Fund in honor of the crash victims. The Fund is used to support the training of promising young figure skaters throughout the country. The United States would not be dominant again in this sport until the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, where Peggy Fleming won the ladies' event.

References

• "Shattered Dreams," Boston Globe, December 29, 2000, p. E16.
• Nichols, Nikki. Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team. Emmis Books, 2006. ISBN 1578602602.

External links

• Accident description at Aviation Safety Network
• Photo of the crash scene
• US Figure Skating Memorial Fund
• Other incidents involving Sabena

Airliner crashes caused by mechanical failure | Figure skating | Disasters in Belgium

Vuelo Sabena 548 | Volo Sabena 548 | Lot Sabena 548 | 比利时航空548航班