March 9, 1967 - Urbana, OH - Midair collision between a TWA DC-9 and a Beechcraft Baron 55.  TWA was descending to land at Dayton Municipal Airport in uncontrolled airspace, in VFR conditions, and collided with the Beech Baron that was not in contact with Air Traffic Control.

The NTSB determined that, due to the high rate of descent of the DC-9, its pilots were unable to see the other plane in time to avoid a collision. All four crew members and 21 passengers on the DC-9 were killed as was the sole occupant of the Baron. (26 Fatalities)
 

July 19, 1967 - Hendersonville, NC - Midair collision between a Piedmont Airlines B-727 and a Cessna-310 at 6,000', on approach to the same airport. (82 Fatalities)

The cause was the deviation from IFR clearance by the Cessna pilot and a confusing transmission by ATC.

The Gulfstream-II has a maximum speed of 580 mph, cruise speed of 480 mph, range of over 4,000 miles and a service ceiling of 45,000'. It's maximum gross weight is 65,000 lbs, and uses two Rolls-Royce Spey 511-8 turbofan engines.

In 1988 a new round-the-world flight record was set by a Gulfstream-IV in 35 hours and 54 minutes (over 23,125 miles).

One of the most beautiful corporate Jets.

On May 3, 1982 a Gulfstream-II from the Algerian government was shot down by a fighter jet in the border area of Iraq, Iran and Turkey. All 15 people on board, including the Algerian foreign minister, Mohammed Seddik Ben Yahia, were killed.
 

November 6, 1967 - - Cincinnati, OH

       

  November 6, 1967 - Cincinnati, Ohio -  A TWA B-707 from New York to Los Angeles crashed after an attempt to abort takeoff after having clipped a Delta DC-9 which was reported to have cleared the runway but was not clear. However, the TWA B-707 did not clip the DC-9.

The Delta DC-9 had become stuck in the mud just to the right of the runway. The jet blast from the DC-9 caused a compressor stall in the B-707's No. 4 engine. Hearing the bang, and believing that their plane had impacted the DC-9, the TWA crew aborted the takeoff, but the plane overran an embankment and stopped 420' from the end of the runway. The B-707 overran the runway, struck an embankment and caught fire.  
 
(1 Fatality initially reported) However, one passenger, not well and traveling with a private nurse was admitted to a hospital for observation and release. She died of natural causes 4 days later.

Special recognition and thanks to the Copilot on Delta's DC-9 for the following clarity of the events of this crash:
 

Probable cause: The TWA crew's inability to successfully abort takeoff due to the speed of the jet, and that a runway overrun was unavoidable. The NTSB determined that TWA had an 'accident' and Delta had an 'incident'.
 

November 20, 1967 - - Cincinnati, OH

November 20, 1967 - Cincinnati, OH - TWA Convair-880 from LAX to BOS (with stops in CIN and PIT) crashed on approach to the Greater Cincinnati Airport. The flight descended too fast and crashed and burned short of the runway. 70 people were killed and 12 were injured. (70 Fatalities)

The NTSB determined the probable cause of the accident to be crew error in attempting a night, visual no glide slope approach during deteriorating weather conditions without adequate altimeter cross reference.
 

December 10, 1967 - - Madison, WI

 

December 10, 1967 - Madison, WI -

Otis Redding, four of his band members and the pilot of the Beech 18H, perished en route to a show in Madison, WI. One band member, Trumpet player Ben Cauley was the only survivor. Photo is the plane being recovered from Lake Monona after they crashed in heavy fog.
 

"These Arms of Mine"   "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"   "I Can't Turn You Loose"   "Try A Little Tenderness"        "I've Been Loving You Too Long"       "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"

The Most Widely Used Airliner in the World
(Boeing has sold over 9,000 B-737's as of December, 2011)

December 15, 1967 - The Boeing 737 (up to 200 passengers), a twin-engine short-to medium-range jet transport with swept wings and wing-mounted twin engines, was type-certified by the FAA for operation with a two-man cockpit crew.
 

Boeing 737 Original Series

Boeing produced nine different models of the B-737 (-100, -200) with JT8D engines. Only 30 B-737-100's were delivered and none remain in service today.

The B-737-200 had an extended fuselage with improved aerodynamics, automatic wheel brakes, more powerful JT8D engines, and more fuel capacity for longer range. A B-737-200C (Convertible) allowed for conversion between passenger and cargo use. The B-737-200 is capable of operating from unimproved or unpaved landing strips. (A gravel-kit modification permits landing on gravel runways.)

Boeing 737 Classic Series

In the 1980s Boeing built the B-737-300, -400, and -500 models. This Classic Series also added capacity and used CFM56 turbofan engines with significant gains in fuel economy, and reduction in engine noise. Boeing also retrofitted the B-737-300SP (Special Performance) jets with Blended Winglets. Winglets (wing tip extensions) enhanced range, fuel efficiency and takeoff performance while lowering engine maintenance costs and noise.

The B-737-400 was a stretched -300 used by charter airlines. Alaska Airlines converted a B-737-400F to an all cargo aircraft to handle 10 pallets.

Boeing 737 Next Generation

The B-737-600 was designed to compete with the new Airbus A320, and also to replace airlines' DC-9s. This was the only B-737 that didn't include winglets as an option.

The B-737-700ER seats up to 149 passengers in an all economy configuration, with a maximum range of over 5,500 nautical miles. (The longest range for a B-737) A B-737-700C was also produced in which the seats can be removed to carry cargo. (A large cargo door is on the left side of the fuselage)

The B-737-800 is a stretched version and seats up to 189 passengers in one class. When McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing, this B-737 ended the production of the MD-80 and MD-90 jets.

The B-737-900 is the longest and most powerful B-737. The B-737-900ER has a seating capacity of up to 220 passengers. Additional fuel capacity and standard winglets improved the maximum range.

The Boeing 737 is operated by more than 500 airlines flying to 1,200 destinations in 190 countries.
 

The Boeing B-737 is the only narrow-body airliner in production, with the B-737-600, -700, -800, and -900ER variants being built. The CFM56 turbofan engine was an engineering challenge because of the low ground clearance of the B-737. The problem was solved by placing the engine ahead of (rather than below) the wing, and by moving engine accessories to the sides (rather than the bottom) of the engine pod, giving the B-737 a distinctive non-circular air intake.

A new re-engined and redesigned version, the B-737 MAX, is set to be available in 2017.

The B-737 is the best-selling jet airliner in the history of aviation. Prior best seller was the B-727. There are an average of over 1,250 B-737s in the air at any given time, with two departing or landing somewhere every five seconds.

Aloha Airlines Flight 243

To show the reliability of the B-737, this incident is included, although it took place on April 28, 1988 (after the timeframe of the "1st and Best 25 years of ATC"). An Aloha Airlines B-737, flying between Hilo and Honolulu at 24,000' suffered extensive damage after an explosive decompression in flight, which tore off a large section of the  top half of the aircraft skin extending from just behind the cockpit to the fore-wing area. The B-737 was still able to land safely at Kahului Airport on Maui.

Both pilots heard a loud "clap" or "whooshing" sound followed by a wind noise behind them. The first officer head was jerked backward and she said that insulation was floating in the cockpit. The Captain observed that the cockpit entry door was missing and saw blue sky where the first-class ceiling had been, and immediately took over the controls of the jet. The crew, and an Air Traffic Controller in the jump seat donned their oxygen masks, as the captain began an emergency descent. Because of the ambient noise, the pilots had to use hand signals to communicate. The first officer set the transponder to emergency code 7700.

The only fatality was a flight attendant who was blown out of the airplane. 65 passengers and crew were injured. (There were 90 passengers and a crew of five on board.)

The NTSB concluded that the accident was caused by metal fatigue exacerbated by crevice corrosion (salt and humidity in a coastal environment). This B-737 was 19 years old at the time of the accident and had sustained the 2nd most takeoff-landing cycles for a plane in the world.