| Date: | Thursday 19 June 1947 |
| Time: | 01:40 |
| Type: |  Lockheed L-049 Constellation |
| Owner/operator: | Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) |
| Registration: | NC88845 |
| MSN: | 2045 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1946 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2645 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 14 / Occupants: 36 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Mayadine -
 Syria
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Karachi International Airport (KHI/OPKC) |
| Istanbul-Yesilköy Airport (IST/LTBA) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Pan Am flight PA121, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, crashed near Mayadine, Syria, killing 14 occupants; 22 survived the accident.
The Constellation, named "Clipper Eclipse", was cruising at FL185 when the no. 1 prop had to be feathered due to engine problems. The remaining three engines overheated, forcing the crew to reduced power. This resulted in a gradual descent. The crew elected to continue to Istanbul instead of landing at the nearby Habbaniya RAF Station in Iraq. While descending through FL100 a fire broke out in the engine no. 2 nacelle. A rapid descent was started during which the no. 2 engine separated from the wing. With the left wing on fire a belly landing was carried out in the desert. It appeared the no. 1 engine failure was due to a broken exhaust rocker arm on the no.18 cylinder. The no. 2 engine failure was due to a failure of the thrust bearing which in turn resulted in blocking the passage of oil from the propeller feathering motor to the propeller dome.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a fire which resulted from an attempt to feather the No. 2 propeller after the failure of the No. 2 engine thrust bearing."
Sources:
CAB Accident Investigation Report
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Apr-2025 07:00 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, ] |
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