Status:
Datum:	22 JUL 1973
Zeit:	22:06
Flugzeugtyp:	Boeing 707-321B
Fluggesellschaft:	Pan American World Airways
Kennzeichen:	N417PA
Werknummer:	18959/470
Baujahr:	1966
Triebwerk:	4 Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B
Besatzung:	Todesopfer: 10 / Insassen: 10
Fluggäste:	Todesopfer: 68 / Insassen: 69
Gesamt:	Todesopfer: 78 / Insassen: 79
Sachschaden:	Zerstört
Konsequenzen:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Unfallort:	3 km (1.9 Meilen) NE vom Land entfernt von Papeete-Faaa Airport (PPT), Tahiti (French Polynesia)
Flugphase:	Während des Fluges (ENR)
Betriebsart:	Internationaler Linienflug
Flug von:	Papeete-Faaa Airport (PPT/NTAA),
Flug nach:	Honolulu International Airport, HI (HNL/PHNL), USA
Flugnummer:	816

Unfallbericht:
PanAm flight PA816 was a regular flight from Auckland (AKL) to Los Angeles (LAX) with intermediate stops at Papeete, Tahiti (PPT) and San Francisco (SFO)
Boeing 707 "Clipper Winged Racer" took off from runway 04 at Papeete-Faaa Airport for it's second leg of the flight. The airplane climbed to a hight of 300 feet and initiated a left turn. It began to descen with an excessive bank turn and struck the sea. The wreckage sank into the 700m deep waters off Papeete. Both CVR and FDR were not recovered.

PROBABLE CAUSE: Unknown. It is considered possible that an instrument failure may have diverted the crew's attention during the turn. Since it was dark outside and the turn was made towards the sea. no visual references were available.

Informationsquelle:
» Aviation Disasters / D. Gero (p. 118)
» Flight International 28.05.1977 (1472)

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