Statuts:
Date:	22 JUI 1973
Heure:	22:06
Type/Sous-type:	Boeing 707-321B
Compagnie:	Pan American World Airways
Immatriculation:	N417PA
Numéro de série:	18959/470
Année de Fabrication:	1966
Moteurs:	4 Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B
Equipage:	victimes: 10 / à bord: 10
Passagers:	victimes: 68 / à bord: 69
Total:	victimes: 78 / à bord: 79
Dégats de l'appareil:	Détruit
Conséquences:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Lieu de l'accident:	3 km (1.9 milles) NE de Papeete-Faaa Airport (PPT), Tahiti (Polynésie française)
Phase de vol:	En vol (ENR)
Nature:	Transport de Passagers Intern.
Aéroport de départ:	Papeete-Faaa Airport (PPT/NTAA), Polynésie française
Aéroport de destination:	Honolulu International Airport, HI (HNL/PHNL), Etats-Unis d'Amérique
Numéro de vol:	816

Détails:
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.

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

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