Fifty years ago, Charles “Chip” McDonald’s father and 71 other passengers died on Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 from Charleston, S.C. to Charlotte.
The plane crashed into a cornfield a few miles short of the airport, killing dozens of passengers on impact and engulfing the rest in flames. There were only 10 survivors.
The tragedy is forever ingrained in the memories of those who survived and the families of those who didn’t. But, despite being Charlotte’s deadliest plane crash, it’s not a widely known piece of Charlotte’s history . Few others think about it, and even fewer talk about it.
A recent series from The Charlotte Observer has sparked more public conversation about the crash — as well as efforts to memorialize it. There is no memorial for the Flight 212 crash and the 72 people who lost their lives that day. At the Charlotte Douglas International Airport Overlook park, there is a memorial for US Airways Flight 1016, which crashed near the airport in 1994, claiming 37 lives. But Flight 212 has yet to be remembered in the same way. It deserves to be.
Even McDonald has rarely talked about the crash, until now. He was 18 years old when the crash occurred, and he can still remember every detail. September 11, 1974 — for him, the first 9/11. He had returned to his dorm room after a morning class at Clemson University when he got a call from his pastor.
“I can hear his voice to this day saying, ‘I’m going to need you to be strong. Your mother is going to need you to be strong, because we’ve lost your father in a plane crash this morning,’” McDonald told me.
After conversations with other victims’ family members, McDonald volunteered to spearhead efforts to create a memorial for Flight 212.
The reason why one doesn’t exist yet is simple: unlike the US Airways crash, which occurred close to the airport, the site where Flight 212 crashed is private property. A large swath of that land is currently owned by Rod of God Ministries off South Tryon Street. Later in his life, when he moved to Charlotte, McDonald drove past it on his way to work nearly every day. It took years for him to summon the courage to visit it for the first time.
McDonald said that the effort to establish a memorial has united the victims’ families around a common goal.
“You feel like you’re really doing something that could honor those whose lives were taken,” McDonald said. “You know, my dad was 44 years of age, with a wife and four kids. That should never happen. It should never have happened, but at least we can recognize them now with a memorial.”
McDonald is optimistic about creating a memorial for Flight 212 at Charlotte’s airport. So far, he’s had one meeting with airport officials, who told him that the airport would “absolutely” like to see Flight 212 memorialized. McDonald said he’s “encouraged and grateful” by the airport’s reception.
An airport spokesperson told me that the airport is in “early stages of discussions with a representative of several families of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 victims.”
“CLT is actively working with the families to create a memorial on Airport property that will offer a meaningful place for families, loved ones, and the community to reflect and honor those who lost their lives in the tragic event on Sept. 11, 1974,” the spokesperson said.
It’s not just about honoring the victims, McDonald said. It’s also about informing the public that the crash did happen. It’s not as if the crash didn’t have an impact on society — it led to the Federal Aviation Administration’s “sterile cockpit” rule , which prohibits the flight crew from engaging in non-essential activities when flying below 10,000 feet. But it’s still not something that most people remember, and that’s what McDonald and others are hoping to change.
“We owe it to the victims to create an appropriate memorial that isn’t pointing fingers in blame for the crash, but recognizing it as an event that should not be forgotten,” McDonald said. “I feel like I’m doing the right thing, and my father would appreciate it. There’s gratification from that.”
Local News
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