Narrative:
Pan Am flight 217, a Boeing 707-300 named "Clipper Malay", crashed into the sea to the north off Caracas, Venezuela. The crew possibly descended into the sea due to an optical illusion created by the lights of the city on an upslope.
| Status: | |
| Date: | Thursday 12 December 1968 |
| Time: | 22:02 |
| Type: |  Boeing 707-321B |
| Operator: | Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) |
| Registration: | N494PA |
| MSN: | 19696/688 |
| First flight: | 1968-03-07 (9 months) |
| Engines: | 4 Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 42 / Occupants: 42 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 51 / Occupants: 51 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | 18,4 km (11.5 mls) N off Caracas ( Venezuela)
|
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY (JFK/KJFK), United States of America |
| Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS/SVMI), Venezuela | |
| Flightnumber: | PA217 |
Pan Am flight 217, a Boeing 707-300 named "Clipper Malay", crashed into the sea to the north off Caracas, Venezuela. The crew possibly descended into the sea due to an optical illusion created by the lights of the city on an upslope.
Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Water
Sources:
» NTSBPhotos
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 New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY to Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport as the crow flies is 3382 km (2114 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY to Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport as the crow flies is 3382 km (2114 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.
languages: 
Venezuela
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Boeing 707
- 858 built
- 26th loss
- 22nd fatal accident
- 11th worst accident (at the time)
- 25th worst accident (currently)
Venezuela- The worst accident (at the time)
- 5th worst accident (currently)
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