Eastern Air Lines  Martin 4-0-4    N460A               (c/n  14151)

                                        

                                              In March 1950 Eddie Rickenbacker ordered 35 new Martin 4-0-4 airliners to replace the
                                              aging DC-3s (the quantity was upped to 60 a year later).  They were known in service as
                                              the "Silver Falcon".  N460A is seen at La Guardia in 1954.  It was sold to Mohawk Airlines
                                              in 1961 becoming N464M "Airchief Huron".   It then went briefly to Ozark.  C/n 14151
                                              crashed into a mountain 17 kms west of Silver Plume, Colorado on 2 Oct 1970 while on
                                              charter from the Jack Richards Aircraft Co.  It was flown by a crew from Golden Eagle
                                              Aviation and was flying the Wichita State University football team to Boston Logan.  Apparently
                                              the First Officer of Golden Eagle (who happened to be president of the company) elected to
                                              take "the scenic route".  i.e. off the airway.   In the vicinity of Dry Gulch it became evident that
                                              the aircraft would  not clear the Continental Divide and, in attempting to execute a 180, the
                                              machine hit trees at an elevation of  10,800 feet.  Surprisingly, 8 of the 40 souls on board
                                              escaped with their lives.   As stated above, most of the Martins and many of the employees
                                              went over to Mohawk in 1961-62.     Only about a dozen of Easterns Martins were repainted
                                              in the 'spear' scheme seen below in the blurry image from the David L. Floyd collection (via
                                              Mike Sparkman). .

                                                       Martin 4-0-4  N480A              (c/n  14228)