Pan Am Flight 759
McCarran Int'l Airport | |
Destination | San Diego Int'l Airport |
---|---|
Occupants | 145 |
Passengers | 138 |
Crew | 7 |
Fatalities | 145 |
Survivors | 0 |
Ground casualties | |
Ground fatalities | 8 |
Ground injuries | 4 |
Pan Am Flight 759 was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from
Aircraft and crew
The aircraft involved, a 14-year-old
At the time of accident, the aircraft was carrying 137 passengers and one non-revenue passenger in the cockpit jumpseat, along with a crew of seven. The captain was 45-year-old Kenneth L. McCullers, who had 11,727 flying hours, including 10,595 hours on the Boeing 727. McCullers was described by others as an "above average" pilot, who was "comfortable" to fly with because of his excellent judgement and ability to exercise command.[1]: 78 The First Officer was 32-year-old Donald G. Pierce, who had 6,127 flying hours, including 3,914 hours on the Boeing 727.[1]: 78 Pierce was described by other captains as a conscientious pilot with excellent knowledge of aircraft systems and company flight procedures and techniques. The flight engineer was 60-year-old Leo B. Noone, who had 19,904 flying hours, including 10,508 hours on the Boeing 727.[1]: 78–79 All three flight crew, including the captain, the first officer and the second officer, were reported having no sleep or health problems, and had passed all proficiency checks without issues.[1]: 4–5
Accident
The weather forecast issued at 07:40 on July 9 by the New Orleans National Meteorological Center contained thunderstorms, possible severe turbulence, icing, and wind shear. The weather chart at 18:00 local time identified a high pressure system located 60 nautical miles (69 mi; 110 km) off the Louisiana coast. No fronts or low pressure areas were within 100 nautical miles (120 mi; 190 km) of the airport. The forecast between 1200 and 2200 indicated "scattered clouds, variable to broken clouds at 3,000 feet (910 m), thunderstorms, and moderate rain showers." According to the NWS (National Weather Service), there were no severe weather warnings for the time and area of the accident.[1]: 1.7
Flight 759 began its takeoff from Runway 10 at the
Abridged communication between Pan Am 759 and the controllers, and among the Pan Am flight crew | ||
# = Nonpertinent word; * = Unintelligible word; () = Questionable text; (( )) = Commentary; --- = pause; Shading = Radio communication; PHM 66K = Other aircraft; AL 404 = Other aircraft | ||
Time | Source | Content |
---|---|---|
16:07:56 | Flight engineer | Takeoff (checks all done) |
16:07:59 | First officer | Takeoff thrust |
16:08:00 | PHM 66K | Moisant tower six six kilo. |
16:08:02 | PHM 66K | Six six kilo traffic is a helicopter landing at the west pad. |
16:08:04 | First officer | (Need the) wipers |
16:08:06 | ((Sound of windshield wipers begins and continues to end of tape)) | |
16:08:06 | PHM 66K | This is petroleum six six kilo lifting the ah west pad on a special VFR. |
16:08:14 | Tower | Zero three bravo traffic is departing the west pad, do you have him in sight? |
16:08:16 | PHM 66K | I got him in sight, I'll turn inside of him. |
16:08:16 | ((Thump sound similar to runway bump)) | |
16:08:16 | Voice unidentified | (Eighty knots) |
16:08:19 | Tower | Okay thank you. |
16:08:20 | First officer | Sixty * is ready on number one. |
16:08:25 | N1MT | And ah thirty one mike tango is ready. |
16:08:27 | ((Click)) ((Windshield wiper speed Increases)) | |
16:08:28 | ((Thump sound similar to runway bump)) | |
16:08:28 | Tower | Thirty one mike tango hold short. |
16:08:30 | AL 404 | And U. S. four oh four is ready. |
16:08:33 | Tower | U.S. Air four oh four roger. |
16:08:33 | Captain | VR |
16:08:34 | ((Clunk sound attributed to nose strut topping)) | |
16:08:41 | Captain | Positive climb |
16:08:42 | First officer | Gear up |
16:08:43 | Captain | (V two) |
16:08:45 | Captain | (Come on back you're sinking Don - come on back) |
16:08:48 | ((Thump sound attributed to nose gear striking up locks)) | |
16:08:45 | Tower | Clipper seven fifty nine contact departure one two zero point six so long. |
16:08:57 | Ground Proximity Warning System | ((Sound of GPWS)) Whoop whoop pull up whoop |
16:09:00 | ((Sound identified as first impact)) | |
16:09:02 | Voice unidentified | # |
16:09:03 | ((Click)) | |
16:09:04 | ((Sound of impact)) | |
16:09:05 | ((Sound of final impact)) | |
16:09:05 | ((Sound attributed to end of tape)) |
Flight 759 lifted off the runway, climbed to an altitude of between 95 and 150 feet (29 and 46 m), and then began to descend. About 2,376 feet (724 m) from the end of runway, the aircraft struck a line of trees at an altitude of about 50 feet (15 m). The aircraft continued descending for another 2,234 feet (681 m), hitting trees and houses. At 16:09:01, the aircraft crashed into the residential area of Kenner, about 4,610 feet (1,410 m) from the end of the runway.
The aircraft was destroyed by the impact, explosion, and subsequent ground fire.[3] A total of 153 people were killed (all 145 passengers and crew on board and 8 on the ground).[1]: 1.1 Another four people on the ground sustained injuries. In one of the destroyed houses, a 16-month-old baby girl was discovered in a crib covered with debris that protected her from the flames, sustaining only minor burns.[4] The child's mother and 4-year-old sister were killed; the father was at work when the accident occurred.[5] In total, six houses were destroyed; five houses were damaged substantially.[6]
Investigation
The
According to witnesses, a wind shear alert was mentioned on New Orleans Airport radio frequencies on July 9, before Flight 759 took off. But the flight crew had been briefed with a recorded weather advisory that was two hours old, though airport routine is for hourly recordings of weather information. There were no procedures at the airport for advising flight crews that updated weather announcements were available.[9]
As a result, millions of dollars were paid out as compensation to various families affected by the crash.[10][11] Flight 759, along with Delta Air Lines Flight 191 which crashed due to similar circumstances three years later, led to the development of the Airborne wind shear detection and alert system and the Federal Aviation Administration mandate to install windshear detection systems at airports and on board aircraft in the U.S. by 1993.[12][13]
Victims
Nationalities of passenger, crew and ground fatalities
Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Ground | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 2 | - | - | 2 |
Brazil | 7 | - | - | 7 |
Canada | 6 | - | - | 6[a] |
Costa Rica | 4 | - | - | 4 |
France | 4 | - | - | 4 |
West Germany | 5 | - | - | 5 |
Hong Kong | 4 | - | - | 4 |
Jamaica | 1 | - | - | 1 |
Mexico | 3 | - | - | 3 |
Panama | 1 | - | - | 1 |
Puerto Rico | 3 | - | - | 3 |
Switzerland | 4 | - | - | 4 |
Uruguay | 11 | - | - | 11 |
United States | 80 | 7 | 8 | 95 |
Venezuela | 1 | - | - | 1 |
Yugoslavia | 2 | - | - | 2 |
Total | 138 | 7 | 8 | 153[14][b] |
A memorial to the accident is located at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Kenner, Louisiana.
Media
Royd Anderson wrote and produced a documentary on the crash in 2012.[15]
Australian radio presenter Peter Goers, whose parents died in the crash, wrote a book about the aftermath in 2023.[16][17]
See also
- Delta Air Lines Flight 191
- Eastern Air Lines Flight 66
- Martinair Flight 495
- USAir Flight 1016
- Georgian Airways Flight 834
- 1956 Kano Airport BOAC Argonaut crash
- Aeroméxico Connect Flight 2431
- 1950 Air France multiple Douglas DC-4 accidents
Notes
- ^ In the list of victims provided by the airline to United Press International, six of the passengers' nationalities were omitted.[14] One of these individuals was listed by the NTSB in their report on the accident as a non-revenued passenger occupying the cockpit's jumpseat.[1]: 1
- ^ The NTSB report stated that "the coroner of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, issued a 'Certificate of Fatal Death' for a 7 1⁄2 month fetus which was not included in the final total."[1]: 4
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Aircraft Accident Report: Pan American World Airways, Inc., Clipper 759, Boeing 727-235, N4737, New Orleans International Airport, Kenner, Louisiana, July 9, 1982" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. March 21, 1983. NTSB/AAR-83/02. Retrieved May 13, 2016. - Copy at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
- PMID 3981104.
- ^ Woltering, Dennis (July 5, 2012). "Pan Am crash's 'Miracle Baby' made best of second chance" (Television production). WWL-TV. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the originalon October 4, 2017.
- The Times-Picayune. New Orleans: Advance Publications. Archived from the originalon July 12, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
The Las Vegas-bound 727 crashed in the middle of a ferocious thunderstorm, less than a minute after it took off, killing all on board, including eight on the ground. The plane tore through the Morningside Park neighborhood in south Kenner, destroying 15 homes.
- OCLC 11160194.
- ^ "Pan Am and U.S. Accept Responsibility for Crash". The New York Times. UPI. May 14, 1983.
- ISSN 0362-4331.
- ISSN 0362-4331.
- ISSN 0099-9660.
- ^ Wallace, Lane E. "The Best That We Can Do: Taming the Microburst Windshear". Airborne Trailblazer. NASA. Archived from the original on April 11, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
- S2CID 11619995.
- ^ a b "List of Victims of the Crash of Pan American World Airways Flight 759 in Kenner, La., as Released by the Airline". United Press International. July 12, 1982.
- ^ "Former HHS teacher makes movie about Kenner tragedy". St. Charles Herald Guide. June 29, 2012.
- ^ Keen, Suzie (August 25, 2023). "From the heart: Peter Goers' long overdue long goodbye". InReview. Solstice Media. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ "Peter's long goodbye". ABC listen. September 11, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
External links
External image | |
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Pre-crash photos of #N4737 at airliners.net |
- The Times-Picayune 1982: Pan Am Flight 759 crashes in Kenner
- Pan Am 759: Deadly 1982 plane crash kills 153 in Kenner on YouTube - Published by the official account of WWL-TV