On the evening of June 18 , 1947 , the Lockheed L-049 Constellation serving Pan Am Flight 121 , known as the Clipper Eclipse and crewed by third officer Gene Roddenberry ( who went on to create the original Star Trek television series ) , suffered an engine failure which led to the overheating of the remaining engines until one caught fire , which spread to the aircraft . When an engine fell from the aircraft , it was unable to maintain altitude , resulting in a crash in the Syrian desert 4 miles ( 6.4 km ) from the town of Mayadin in the early morning of June 19 , 1947 and the death of fifteen people
Pan Am Flight 121
Pan Am Flight 121
Lockheed L-049 Constellation