ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 720-047B N3166 Ontario International Airport, CA (ONT)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Wednesday 31 March 1971
Time:06:33
Type:Silhouette image of generic B720 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Boeing 720-047B
Operator:Western Air Lines
Registration: N3166
MSN: 19439/621
First flight: 1967-08-27 (3 years 7 months)
Total airframe hrs:11521
Cycles:7011
Engines: 4 Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B
Crew:Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:Ontario International Airport, CA (ONT) (   United States of America)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:Training
Departure airport:Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX/KLAX), United States of America
Destination airport:Ontario International Airport, CA (ONT/KONT), United States of America
Flightnumber: 366
Narrative:
Control was lost during a 3-engine missed ILS approach procedure and the aircraft crashed.
Failure of the aircraft rudder hydraulic actuator support fitting led to the loss of left rudder control. The loss of control situation was worsened by the degraded external visual clues (600 feet overcast; 1200 m visibility in fog haze and smoke).

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The failure of the aircraft rudder hydraulic actuator support fitting. The failure of the fitting resulted in the inapparent loss of left rudder control which, under the conditions of the flight, precluded the pilots’ ability to maintain directional control during a simulated engine-out missed-approach. The existing weather conditions degraded external visual cues, thereby hampering rapid assessment of aircraft performance by the flight check captain."

Accident investigation:

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Investigating agency: NTSB
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 2 months
Accident number: NTSB/AAR-72-18
Download report: Final report

Classification:

Hydraulic system problem
Loss of control

Follow-up / safety actions

NTSB issued 9 Safety Recommendations

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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 Los Angeles International Airport, CA to Ontario International Airport, CA as the crow flies is 75 km (47 miles).

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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Boeing 720

  • 154 built
  • 6th loss
  • 5th fatal accident
  • 3rd worst accident (at the time)
  • 4th worst accident (currently)
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