ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 377 Stratocruiser 10-26 N1030V Rio de Janeiro, RJ
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Sunday 27 July 1952
Time:11:46
Type:Silhouette image of generic b377 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser 10-26
Operator:Pan American World Airways (Pan Am)
Registration: N1030V
MSN: 15939/12
First flight: 1949-09-28 (2 years 10 months)
Total airframe hrs:7885
Engines: 4 Pratt & Whitney R-4360-B6
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8
Passengers:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 19
Total:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 27
Aircraft damage: Minor
Aircraft fate: Repaired
Location:off Rio de Janeiro, RJ (   Atlantic Ocean)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport, RJ (GIG/SBGL), Brazil
Destination airport:Buenos Aires/Ezeiza-Ministro Pistarini Airport, BA (EZE/SAEZ), Argentina
Flightnumber:PA201
Narrative:
The aircraft, on a flight from New York to Buenos Aires left the airport of Rio de Janeiro at 11:28 following an intermediate stop. A climb was started, as was cabin pressurization. At an altitude of about 12,000 feet and with a cabin pressure differential of 4.1 pounds per square inch, corresponding to a cabin altitude of about 2.000 feet, the purser heard a loud hissing noise at the cabin door. He went to the flight deck and stated to the captain, "We should depressurize because I think the door is open." With the door warning light still on the flight engineer accompanied the purser to inspect the door. The flight engineer did not make a visual inspection through the door windows but placed his hand along the top edge of the door, whereupon the noise decreased. He then instructed the purser to place wet towels in that area to reduce the air leak and the noise. At this time the door handle was still not in the locked position, the flight engineer estimating that it was still about 25 degree from being in the horizontal position and the purser estimating it to be only about 19 degree from the vertical, or fully unlocked position. The purser then went aft in the cabin to procure towels. The flight engineer returned to his station and reported to the captain that the door seal was leaking but everything seemed normal. The captain elected to continue. The door warning light was still on. Within a minute or two the cabin door blew open. A woman passenger in seat No. 33, nearest the door, was blown out. The depressurization, of an explosive violence, caused damage throughout 'the cabin, blowing loose ceiling panels and many sections of soundproofing and upholstery and tearing off the door of the ladies' lavatory. Fog, caused by condensation at the lower pressure, temporarily filled the cabin. The aircraft was immediately turned back to Rio de Janeiro where it landed uneventfully at 12:13.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "(a) The flight engineer's failure to recognize an unsafe condition of the cabin door despite three completely separate warnings of that condition; and (b) the captain's action in continuing flight while pressurized despite the several warnings that the main cabin door was not properly locked."

Accident investigation:

Investigating agency: CAB
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 96 days (3 months)
Accident number: final report
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Passenger door failure
Forced landing on runway

Sources:
» CAB File No. 1-0062


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Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport, RJ to Buenos Aires/Ezeiza-Ministro Pistarini Airport, BA as the crow flies is 1989 km (1243 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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