Investigation Summary
The flight from New York was uneventful until the final approach to Brussels. At approximately 900 feet, the crew initiated a go-around because a smaller aircraft had not yet vacated the runway. During this maneuver, the aircraft's trimmable horizontal stabilizer likely malfunctioned, moving to an extreme 10.5-degree nose-up position. This created immense nose-up pitch forces that the pilots attempted to counter by banking the aircraft steeply to the left, reaching angles of up to 90 degrees. After three circles, the aircraft leveled its wings, which caused the nose to pitch up violently again. The 707 lost airspeed, stalled, and entered a terminal nose-down spiral. The crash was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 707 in regular passenger service and remains the deadliest aviation accident on Belgian soil.
Final Conclusions
The Belgian Commission of Inquiry concluded that the cause was a material failure of the flying controls. However, due to the extent of the destruction, they could not determine which specific system failed beyond a reasonable doubt. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) specifically identified the stabilizer adjusting mechanism as the most likely culprit, suggesting it ran to a full nose-up position from which the crew could not recover.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
A Tragic Loss of Talent (Sabena Flight 548) - DISASTER BREAKDOWN — An analysis of the 1961 crash of Sabena Flight 548, which claimed the lives of the entire U.S. Figure Skating team and led to significant changes in Boeing 707 design.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Ludovic Marie Antoine Lambrechts, former military pilot with over 20 years experience.
First Officer
Jean Roy, former military pilot with over 20 years experience.
Systems & Failure Modes
Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer
The mechanism that adjusts the pitch of the entire tail assembly to maintain level flight; suspected to have run away to a full 10.5-degree nose-up position.
Stabilizer Trim Cut-out Switches
Safety switches later added by Boeing to allow pilots to disconnect power to the trim motor in the event of a runaway.
Interesting Facts
- 01The accident killed all 18 members of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating team, their coaches, and family members.
- 02It was the first fatal accident of a Boeing 707 in commercial passenger service.
- 03The ground fatality was a farmer, Theo de Laet, who was struck by debris while working.
- 04The aircraft was nearly brand new, having been delivered to Sabena only 13 months prior.
- 05The 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague were cancelled out of respect for the victims.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Stabilizer Trim Modifications
Boeing added stabilizer trim cut-out switches to the 707 flight deck and retrofitted existing models; this design was carried forward to the 727, 737, and 747.
U.S. Figure Skating Travel Mandate
A policy was established that no U.S. team traveling to an international competition is permitted to fly together on the same aircraft.