| Occurrence Type: | Accident |
| 1960 Minneapolis Lakers cornfield landing | |
| Date: | January 18, 1960 |
| Type: | Forced landing |
| Site: | Carroll, Iowa, U.S. |
| Aircraft Type: | Douglas DC-3 |
| Origin: | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Destination: | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Occupants: | 23 |
| Passengers: | 20 |
| Crew: | 3 |
| Fatalities: | 0 |
| Injuries: | 0 |
The 1960 Minneapolis Lakers cornfield landing was an aircraft incident where a Douglas DC-3 carrying 23 people, including the coach and players of the Minneapolis Lakers, made an emergency landing in an Iowa cornfield during a snowstorm after having got lost due to an electrical malfunction and poor weather.[1] [2] [3] The incident has been described as the closest the United States has ever came to losing a professional sports team.[4]
After a game against the St. Louis Hawks, the aircraft took of from St. Louis at around 8:30pm on January 17, after having been delayed for two hours because of weather. About 10 minutes into the flight, the plane suffered an electrical malfunction which took out the plane's heater, lighting, defroster, radio, fuel gauge, and compass amongst others. Flying blind, the pilots decided it was too dangerous to return to the busy St. Louis airport and headed for Minneapolis. Without the plane's navigational equipment, it soon got lost. After around four hours, and low on fuel, the crew spotted the town of Carroll, Iowa. After circling the town a few times, looking for an airport, the pilots successfully made an emergency landing in a nearby cornfield at around 1:30 am on January 18.[5] [6] [7]
The plane was crewed by three people. It also carried 20 passengers, including coach Jim Pollard and players Elgin Baylor, Hot Rod Hundley and Bobby Leonard as well as several other players, team personnel, family members and fans.[8] [9]