| Date: | Monday 28 June 1965 |
| Time: | 14:13 |
| Type: |  Boeing 707-321B |
| Owner/operator: | Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) |
| Registration: | N761PA |
| MSN: | 18336/270 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1962 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 12789 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W JT3D-3B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 153 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial, repaired |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near San Francisco, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | San Francisco International Airport, CA (SFO/KSFO) |
| Honolulu International Airport, HI (HNL/PHNL) | |
| Investigating agency: | CAB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Pan Am flight 843 experienced an explosive disintegration of the third stage turbine disk of the No. 4 engine. The accident occurred shortly after takeoff from San Francisco, at an altitude of about 800 feet above the ground.
Disintegration of the turbine disk was followed by a fire in the No. 4 engine area and an explosion in the outboard reserve fuel tank. The No. 4 engine and approximately 25 feet of the right outer wing separated from the aircraft.
The fire was extinguished and a successful emergency landing was accomplished at Travis Air Force Base, California, with no injuries to the 143 passengers or 10 crewmembers aboard the flight.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The failure of the third stage turbine disk. This failure was caused by a transient loss of operating clearance between the third stage turbine disk and the third stage inner sealing ring. This loss of clearance resulted from a combination of improper turbine rotor positioning during engine assembly, the use of serviceable worn parts, and an operating clearance which was less than predicted in design analysis."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
CAB accident report
Life 26.7.1965
Images:
photo (c) Roger Stewart; Travis AFB; 30 June 1965
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Nov-2024 19:58 | ASN | Updated [Accident report, ] |
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