Historical eventOctober 301959

Piedmont Airlines Flight 349

Piedmont Airlines Flight 349 crashes on approach to Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport in Albemarle County, Virginia, killing 26 of the 27 on board.

Everything on October 30Original source

In context

When
Friday, October 30 195967 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1950s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1959-10-30.

Place: Virginia, United States.

Type: aviation accident.

Deaths reported: 26. Casualties: 1.

What happened

Investigation A diagram of the plane's flight path The subsequent investigation determined the cause of the accident to be: A navigational omission which resulted in a lateral course error that was not detected and corrected through precision instrument flying procedures. A contributing factor to the accident may have been pre-occupation of the captain resulting from mental stress. [ 1 ] ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-90-DL (DC-3) N55V Bucks Elbow Mountain, VA" .

On October 30, 1959, Piedmont Airlines Flight 349, a Douglas DC-3, crashed on Bucks Elbow Mountain near Crozet, Virginia, killing the crew of three and all but one of its twenty-four passengers. The sole survivor was seriously injured and lay on the ground near the wreckage, still strapped in his seat.

October 30 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1959Piedmont Airlines Flight 349
  2. 2002Warren Zevon
  3. 2005Frauenkirche, Dresden
  4. 2010Jon Stewart
  5. 20132013 Mahabubnagar bus accident
  6. 2014Beechcraft Super King Air
  7. 2014European Union
  8. 2015Colectiv nightclub fire
  9. 20202020 Aegean Sea earthquake
  10. 20222022 Morbi bridge collapse
  11. 2023Rescue of Ori Megidish

Also in 1959

  • September 13Luna 2The Soviet spacecraft Luna 2 (model pictured) struck the Moon, the first spacecraft to reach another celestial body.
  • September 15Nikita KhrushchevNikita Khrushchev becomes the first Soviet leader to visit the United States.
  • June 14Disneyland MonorailDisneyland Monorail System, the first daily operating monorail system in the Western Hemisphere, opens to the public in Anaheim, California.
  • August 17Miles DavisAmerican musician Miles Davis released Kind of Blue, which became one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed jazz recordings o…
  • November 21Disc jockeyAmerican disc jockey Alan Freed (pictured), who popularized the term rock and roll, was fired from WABC-AM for his role in the payola sca…
  • November 16The Sound of MusicThe Sound of Music, a musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein based on The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, opened on Broadway at the Lunt-F…
  • November 16National Airlines Flight 967National Airlines Flight 967 explodes in mid-air over the Gulf of Mexico, killing all 42 aboard.
  • March 181959 Tibetan uprisingTibetan uprising: After the 14th Dalai Lama sought refuge at Sera Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, Chinese forces bombarded the monastery, infl…

Everything we record for 1959 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Piedmont Airlines Flight 349”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/piedmont-airlines-flight-349-1959-october-30, accessed October 24, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Piedmont Airlines Flight 349 happen?

October 30 1959 — 67 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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