Today, 64 years ago, on February 15, 1961 (Calendar 1 January 1961), 18 American skaters died in the air. On February 15, 1961, a Belgian Airline Boeing 707 jet passenger plane crashed near Brussels airport on the way back from New York, killing 72 people on board, including 49 Americans and a farmer working on the ground. Among those passengers were 18 American skaters on the way to Prague to participate in the World Championship. The aircraft did not see any failure when it rotated over 600 feet above the airport, but then suddenly crashed and burned when it fell to 70 degrees.