Eastern Air Lines flight 212 departed from Charleston, South Carolina at 07.00 on 11th September 1974. The McDonell Douglas DC-9 was planned to fly to Chicago via Charlotte. There were 78 passengers onboard. Captain James E Reeves was in charge that day working with first officer James M Daniels Jr. Working in the cabin were senior flight attendant Collette Watson, 26, and 25-year-old, flight attendant Eugenia Kerth. It was Collette's 6th work anniversary that very day. She loved her job, seeing the world and making lifelong friends.
A short hop
They'd flown empty from Atlanta, to pick up the passengers from Charleston. Everything was routine and the flight was just a short hop of 20 minutes. The passengers were a mix of leisure and business travelers. Collette was working at the front of the cabin and Eugenia at the rear of the aircraft. The beverage service was almost done and a child asked Collette if he could have a hot chocolate. She was determined to get him his drink before she would hear the landing gear lower.
In the cockpit
The first officer was manually flying the aircraft whilst the captain responded to directions from air traffic control, confirming altitude and the approach path. The cockpit was relaxed and the two pilots had discussed politics, cars and other subjects. They both had strong views and continued to converse on the descent. The fog around the Douglas Municipal Airport, Charlotte, was dense, shallow and patchy.
An altitude alert sounded when the aircraft approached 6,000 feet. They were looking for the local landmark, Carowinds Tower and could not see the airport in the low-lying fog. The crew had become distracted and confused and were unaware of their altitude. The terrain warning sounded but was silenced by the pilots. They were unaware that they were 450 feet below the minimum altitude required for a safe landing and continued to look for a visual of the airport.
Unexpected impact
The flight attendants had taken their seats, Collette was sitting just behind the cockpit. Suddenly, there was a huge jolt, the aircraft had impacted terrain and bounced twice. She thought that the landing gear had collapsed. She could see fog and trees outside. The aircraft struck pine trees, broke up into pieces and there was a fire in the cabin. Witnesses on the ground reported an explosion and a huge column of smoke. The aircraft settled into a field just 3.3 miles away from the airport runway. The aircraft was almost completely destroyed by the impact and the fire, which spread quickly in the direction of travel.
Devastation
Collette saw that the cabin was on fire. There was smoke, flames and people on fire in the devastating and frightening scene. People were screaming and she was choking on the smoke. She tried to open the emergency exits. The left front exit door was blocked, by a fallen tree and could only be slightly opened. The right exit door was blocked by the ground impact and could not be opened. She tried to open the cockpit door, but it was secured on the inside, to stop hijackers. The first officer who was in shock, managed to release the latch. His legs were badly injured.
Collette climbed out of the sliding cockpit window and fell roughly out. She needed to get help. Amidst the thick fog and trees, she found a commuter, who had seen the crash and come to assist. They climbed up a tree near to the cockpit, to release the first officer. They managed to free him and pull him through the cockpit window. The captain had died on impact. Eugenia had died from multiple factors. She would have been unable to open the rear exit in the tail, due to her injuries. The exit remained unopened.
Courage
Collette offered help to the surviving passengers to escape the cabin. Some had been ejected from the cabin on impact, free of the burning wreckage. There was debris everywhere and passengers with severe burns lying on the ground. She did her best to comfort them and tried to help the injured. There was a red-haired lady who was badly burned and she covered her with a coat and said the Lord's Prayer with her. A ramp worker for Eastern Air Lines had made his way to the crash site, saw her uniform and she fell into his arms. Collette had received bumps to her head and cuts to her arms and body. She was taken to the hospital and then waited for her husband to arrive from Atlanta.
"I just started shaking and crying so hard. It was just like it hit me."
Collette, senior flight attendant on flight 212
Aftermath
Of the 82 souls on board, 70 passengers died that dreadful day, along with the captain and flight attendant Eugenia. Eleven passengers had survived the impact and fire but three died within a month of the accident. Some died from the impact, others from burns and smoke inhalation from the post-crash fire. Collette and the first officer and eight passengers survived.
Lessons learned
It was determined by the NTSB, that the accident was caused by a controlled flight into terrain and multiple crew errors. These errors included not following procedures and engaging in unnecessary conversation during critical phases of flight. The sterile cockpit rule was brought into airline procedures in 1981 ensuring that pilots only are focused on their flying duties and not distracted by anything else. The investigation into the accident also looked at the flammability of passenger clothing and noted that some survivors had been wearing natural clothing and had less burns caused by the post-crash fire.
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After note
Collette amazingly continued to fly for Eastern Air Lines for a total of 23 years until they closed down in 1991. She struggled with survivor's guilt but returned to flying to try and overcome it. She was first offered a job on the ground by the airlines but was determined to resume her role as a flight attendant. She sometimes experienced flashbacks and overwhelm during her flights, especially in bad weather. She was known for the accident and was often asked about it by her colleagues but she rarely spoke about it. Collette loved her job and with much bravery and courage, returned to the skies once again.