The list is not an official one, since it is (for some odd reasons) not possible to copy the official microfilm from Pan Am's office files. The history of this aircraft reveals no item that stands in casual relationship with the accident. Pan Am Flight 214 was a scheduled flight of Pan American World Airways from Isla Verde International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Friendship Airport in Baltimore and Philadelphia International Airport. After the accident fuel samples were taken from the supply sources at Idlewild, Baltimore, and San Juan. Approximately eight minutes later, at 2058:56 the following transmission was heard on the Philadlephia Approach Control frequency 124.6: "MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY"[5] Clipper 214 out of control. Very slight outward bulging of the tank end rib was noted. Communication was established between Flight 214 and New Castle Approach Control, which had no radar. On the morning of December 8, 1963, N709PA departed Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Pan American Flight 213 and proceeded to San Juan, Puerto Rico, with an en route stop at Baltimore, Maryland. "[20] Eventually, investigators were able to extract data from 95% of the tape that had been in the recorder. Threats of harming another Our obligation is to document history, and this was a sad one, but a formative one, Dixon said. Boeing 707-121 | Federal Aviation Administration JP-4 advocates countered that the fuel was as safe, or safer than, kerosene, the other fuel used in jets at the time. Pan Am flight 103 | Overview, Crash, Victims, & Facts There was an error processing your request. There was a nurse, an employee of Campbell Soup, a furniture dealer, a real estate broker and several dentists. Despite the one variation in results of the three magnetic surveys, no information significant to the investigation was obtained. However, due to the inflight fire damage in the left inboard wing trailing edge, the left horizontal tail and the left side of the vertical tail and aft fuselage, the possibility of a fuel leak in the trailing edge of the left inboard wing was explored in connection with initiation of the accident. [22] Within a week of the crash, the FAA issued an order requiring the installation of static electricity dischargers on the approximately 100 Boeing jet airliners that had not already been so equipped. There was never a second thought about putting the Knuth children on planes after the crash. Pan Am flight 103, also called Lockerbie bombing, flight of a passenger airliner operated by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988, after a bomb was detonated. Error! Numerous small, lustrous craters were found in the wing tip cap ranging in diameter from 116 to 18 inch. Possible sources of such leaks are the dump chute assembly, the reserve tank transfer tube, or a rear spar crack. [14] Additional charge cells in the cloud may then successively discharge through this main ionized channel as a single flickering flash which may last as long as one second. At Baltimore a Pan American operations representative talked to the captain about the weather between Baltimore and Philadelphia. However, the turbulence in the area where N709PA was operating was light to moderate and was not of the strength normally associated with a loss of control or structural failure. Also, the fire damage high on the left side of the vertical tail is wholly incompatible with fire emanating from the wing trailing edge under any normal flight conditions. There was no evidence of any powerplant or system malfunction that could have caused the inflight explosion. They also said that the plane would have had to dive a considerable distance before aerodynamic forces would have caused it to break up and explode, but the aircraft apparently had caught fire close to its cruising altitude of 5,000 feet. Finding out how many other people were affected by it, my sorrows werent really my own anymore, Chris said. Lightning discharge damage judged to be of recent origin and of an extent compatible with the reportedly observed massive lightning stroke was observed in several locations at the left wing tip area. By the same reasoning, in view of the known facts of this accident, there is no logical explanation for ignition of the flammable vapors other than some effect stemming directly from the lightning strike. Carol Knuth Sakoian is reminded of her father whenever she smells a cigar or hears classical music. He said, I can assure you that the remains that you get back will be the remains of your loved ones, Miller recalled. A general alarm went out to all available ambulances and the North East Fire Company answered the call. As I look back on it now, I have to say that maybe I receive some solace or comfort now in having assisted with the recovery of the crash victims bodies, as difficult as it was for me then, he said. At 7:35 p.m. EST, Flight 214 made an intermediate stop at Baltimore's . No evidence of any flight crew incapacitation, prior to impact, was found. DCA13MA120.aspx - NTSB The Baltimore radar monitoring of the departure revealed neither unusual flight progress not significant weather. We cannot record everything. The controller informed the pilots that the airport was experiencing a line of thunderstorms in the vicinity, accompanied by strong winds and turbulence. 3 was issued by the USWB office, Washington National Airport. The electron flow suddenly heats the ionized channel to about 15,000C, expanding the air supersonically outward with a thunderclap. 1 reserve fuel tank with resultant explosive disintegration of the left outer wing and loss of control. The crash was Pan Am's first fatal accident with the 707, which it had introduced to its fleet five years earlier. Pan Am Flight 806 - Wikipedia [25], On March 3, 1965, the CAB released its final accident report. This latter transmission was made by the first officer of National Airlines Flight 16 (NAL 16). United Airlines got many of Pan Am's old flights. Toxicological examination of the flight crew showed no evidence of alcohol or elevated carbon monoxide levels. After the collision we dropped slightly, as though we had hit an air pocket. Pan Am provided the family with passes to travel. I try to make Christmas for my wife and kids a special time.. There was molten aluminum alloy splattered on the forward upper surface of the leading edge of the stabilizer which was determined to have been deposited in flight. The fiery blast in the stormy Maryland sky caused the plane to break up in flight. We would be grateful if you would support our work by recording your loved ones, preserving their memory for future generations. The first arriving emergency responder, Lt. Don Hash of the Maryland State Police, observed that the only large recognizable piece of jetliner was a section of fuselage with about eight or 10 window frames. George F. Knuth was an Iowa farm boy who originally wanted to be a science teacher, but then joined the military to fly planes. [3][19] U.S. House Representative Samuel S. Stratton of Schenectady, New York, sent a telegram to the FAA urging them to restrict jet operations in turbulent weather, but the FAA responded that it saw no pattern that suggested the need for such restrictions, and Boeing concurred. A global icon. It was a muddy night because it had been raining awful hard. For more information on this blog click here. Outside the armory, Miller, then 35,met a first responder who had been working in the field all night. He was just 6 years old in 1963. Fingerprints, dental records and personal effects found nearby were the primary means of identification. Don't knowingly lie about anyone [28] The committee agreed to conduct both long-range and short-range studies of the impact of lightning on aircraft fuel systems, and potential measures to defeat such hazards. Similar surveys were conducted on a USAF B-707-100 and a Pan American B-707-139 with 3,454 and 10,540 hours flight time, respectively. Pan American Airways Crash Worst Disaster in Maryland History The Board participated in this program by providing a member on the Committee organized to advise in the program planning and execution as well as to evaluate the results. For more difficult cases, Fisher and his team reconstructed faces as best possible using mannequins. [2] Flight 214 left San Juan at 4:10pm. In some cases, the team reconstructed the victims' faces to the extent possible using mannequins. However, on December 4, 1991 Pan Am stopped flying due to the big financial problems. While residents were returning from evening church services, finishing up a late supper or watching The Ed Sullivan Show, five airliners were circling above Elkton, waiting for the OK to fly the 44 miles home to Philadelphia. [25] The FAA said that it would conduct research to determine the relative safety of the two types of jet fuel used in the United States, both of which were present in the fuel tanks of Flight 214. [29] In 1967, the FAA updated airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes with requirements that fuel systems must be designed to prevent the ignition of fuel vapor within the system by lightning strikes, and published guidance related to that requirement. Within this area there were numerous spots where the metal surface and rivet head showed indications of melting, and associated dendritic patterns were were visible on the wing surfaces. The crew acknowledged with "Roger, no hurry, just wanted you to know that we'll accept a clearance." The exterior of the wing fuel tank ram vent was moderately sooted inboard of the recess in the bottom skin. 1 and 4 reserve tanks an estimated 1.81 gallons of residual fuel, approximately 69 percent Type B; Nos. The left side of the vertical tail and aft fuselage were extremely scorched by exposure to fire in flight. The record of the first 32 minutes of flight was normal and indicated no severe turbulence. Another was due to a bomb, and another due to a failed landing attempt. Meanwhile, the stroke leader continues on from the aircraft to another cloud or to the ground to complete the ionized channel for the electron avalanche. The Committee was informed currently on the investigative results and, conversely, persons responsible for the investigation were advised as information evolved from the research activities to the mutual benefit of all responsible parties. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-321B powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B engines. There is even a portion of the plane on display. The exact manner of ignition was never determined, but the investigation yielded information about how lightning can damage aircraft, leading to new safety regulations. If lightning was the cause of a fatal crash, it would be a first in the history of U.S. commercial aviation. Seventy-two witnesses said that the ball of fire occurred at the same time as, or immediately after, the lightning strike. Following is a list of passengers on the Pan American Boeing 747 airliner who were killed in the Canary Islands crash, as provided Monday to The Associated Press by Pan American officials:.