Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 13 June 1968
Aircraft Type: Boeing 707-321C
Owner/operator: Pan American World Airways (Pan Am)
Registration Number: N798PA
Location: 1 km from Calcutta-Dum Dum Airport (CCU) –
ÿ India
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 63
Component Affected: Boeing 707 aircraft (specifically the navigation and flight control systems).Boeing 707 aircraft (specifically the navigation and flight control systems).
Category: Accident
A Boeing 707, ‘Clipper Caribbean’, crashed while on a visual approach to Calcutta, India, due to a misinterpretation of air traffic control pressure and incorrect navigation, resulting in a significant altitude loss.A Boeing 707, ‘Clipper Caribbean’, crashed while on a visual approach to Calcutta, India, due to a misinterpretation of air traffic control pressure and incorrect navigation, resulting in a significant altitude loss.
Description
Pan Am Flight 1 was a round-the world flight from Los Angeles to New York. The Boeing 707, “Clipper Caribbean”, was on a visual approach to Calcutta, India, when it struck a tree and crashed 1128 m short of the runway. Weather at Calcutta was poor with a 400 ft ceiling and less than two miles visibility in rain. The crew of “Clipper Caribbean” misunderstood the pressure reported to them by air traffic control. They didn’t set the QNH at 993 mb, but instead set the QFE at 29,93. This resulted in a difference of the indicated altitude of 360 feet. The airplane consequently descended below decision height with flaps extended to 50 degrees.
Source of Information
https://www.ntsb.gov/Pages/brief.aspx?ev_id=13198&key=0https://www.ntsb.gov/Pages/brief.aspx?ev_id=13198&key=0Primary Cause
Misinterpretation of air traffic control pressure and incorrect navigation leading to a loss of altitude.Misinterpretation of air traffic control pressure and incorrect navigation leading to a loss of altitude.Share on:
