Crash of Pan Am Flight 214

Date: December 8, 1963 • Location: Elkton, United States

After being struck by lightning while in a holding pattern, Pan Am Flight 214 crashed near Elkton, Maryland, U.S., killing all 81 people on board.

In aviation, holding is a maneuver designed to delay an aircraft already in flight while keeping it within a specified airspace; i.e. "going in circles."