Boeing 707

Flight 800 was a scheduled international flight from Rome, Italy to Athens, Greece. It departed the parking area at 1300 hours GMT with the copilot at the controls and the take-off run on runway 25 started at 1307 hours. The aircraft bad reached a speed above 80 kt when the pilot-in-command noticed that the No. 4 engine pressure ratio gauge was reading 1 (zero thrust) and, immediately thereafter, the amber light indicating thrust reversal of No. 2 engine came on. Since the speed was still below V1 for the weights and runway conditions, he decided to abort take-off and took over the controls to carry out the required manoeuvre. The tower was advised of this decision when the aircraft had reached a point 800 to 900 m after the threshold. The aircraft started to decelerate but at a much slower rate than expected, and at the same time veered strongly to the right with the result that the right landing gear was grazing the runway edge. Reverse thrust on the two right engines was reduced in an attempt to bring the aircraft back to the centre Line. The aircraft continued travelling beyond the declared runway limit and struck with No. 4 engine a pavement roller which was being used for maintenance work on taxiway 16/34 in an authorized area. After travelling a further 260 m, the aircraft came to a stop with fire on board. After a series of explosions, it was engulfed in flames and completely destroyed. The accident occurred at 1309 hours GMT. Five crew members and 44 passengers were killed, 24 others occupants were injured, some of them seriously.

PAA 212 departed Dulles Airport at 2221 with the same crew of 9 and 136 passengers. The flight was conducted under instrument conditions and was routine until arrival in the New York area. At 2239 the New York Center controller transmitted the JFK weather to PAA 212. The runway visual range (RVR) on runway 4R at JFK was reported to be 1,600 feet. At 2250 JFK Approach Control established radar and radio contact with PAA 212 and advised: "Depart Colts Neck heading zero nine zero for vectors to the final approach course, Kennedy weather is three hundred thin broken, measured ceiling one thousand five hundred overcast, visibility one and one-half miles fog, and the runway visual range runway four right more than one thousand feet, standby." FAA 212 acknowledged the transmission. N779PA was restricted to landing Minimums of 300-foot ceiling and 3/4 mile visibility. The flight reported over the Colts Neck VOR at 2253 35 and was cleared to descend from 6,000 to 1,500 feet. Several vectors were given to position FAA 212 on the inbound heading to the Outer Marker (OM). At 2256.15 while on a heading of 040 degree, the crew reported reaching 1,500 feet, airspeed 180. Several delaying vectors were given to position the aircraft three and one-half miles behind a DC-8 which was landing ahead. At 2259.45 the JFK local controller transmitted to FAA 212: "Clipper two one two this is Kennedy Tower, report passing outer marker, straight in four right, wind calm, runway visual range, all aircraft copy, four right is more than six thousand." Prevailing visibility at the JFK Airport was less than three miles, therefore the Precision Approach Radar (PAR) Controller was monitoring all ILS approaches to runway 4R as prescribed by procedures. At 2301.10 the PAR controller advised, "Clipper two twelve, Kennedy radar on localizer one mile from outer marker course and glidepath OK." At 2301:40, PAA 212 reported passing the outer marker and the PAR controller advised, "Clipper two twelve two miles from touchdown." The local controller transmitted at 2301 45 "Clipper two one two, Kennedy Tower cleared to land four right, traffic will be clear in five seconds." PAR at 2302-10 advised "Clipper two twelve, Kennedy radar, execute a missed approach if you do not have the runway in sight." Immediately following this transmission, PAA 212 acknowledged "Uh. . . Roger two one two." The next radio transmission was at 2303:10 when the local controller called the flight but was unable to establish radio contact. After touchdown the aircraft continued down and off the runway across the asphalt overrun and through a sandy area before coming to rest in the shallow water of Thurston Basin approximately 800 feet from the far end of runway 4R. When the aircraft came to rest the crew proceeded aft to assist the passengers. The main forward (left) cabin door was opened and the passengers in this section of the aircraft left through this door. The passengers in the aft section left through the overwing exits onto the wings; and others left through the two rear doors and got into two life rafts that had been launched. Evacuation of the aft section of the aircraft was completed in approximately five minutes. After seats and debris had been removed from the first-class compartment aisle, some of the persons who had been in the aft section of the aircraft reentered the aircraft and left through the main forward cabin door. The aircraft broke in two and was written off. Among the 145 occupants, 40 were injured, seven of them seriously, and 105 other occupants were unhurt.

Pan American Flight 214, a Boeing 707-121, N709PA, departed Friendship International Airport, Baltimore, Maryland, for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 2024 1 December 8, 1963. The aircraft, with 73 passengers and a crew of eight, was on an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance. Flight 214 reported over the New Castle, Delaware VOR at 2042 and was instructed to hold at 5,000 feet, west of the VOR. At 2058 a "MAYDAY" 2 transmission was heard from the flight. Shortly thereafter, the pilot of another aircraft broadcasted that "Clipper 214 is going down in flames". Flight 214 crashed two miles east of Elkton, Maryland, at 2059. All persons aboard the aircraft were killed instantly. The aircraft was destroyed by explosion, impact, and fire.

A Boeing 707-441 passenger jet, operated by Varig, was destroyed when it crashed into the side of La Cruz Peak, near Lima, Peru. All 80 passengers and 17 crew members were killed. Flight RG810 departed Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport at 03:53 hours UTC on a scheduled flight to Los Angeles (LAX) with en route stops at Lima (LIM), Peru , Bogotá (BOG), Colombia, Panama City (PTY), Panama and Mexico City (MEX), Mexico. At 08:09 the flight reported to Air Traffic Control, Lima, at 36 000 feet, estimating Pisco at 08:13 and Lima-Callao Airport at 08:36 and requested permission to descend. Lima ATC advised of a DC-6, which had departed Lima at 07:35 and was also estimating Pisco at 08:13 when it would be cruising at 13500 feet. After passing Pisco at 08:13, the crew started their descent. At 08:19 hours RG-810 reached 26000 feet. Authorization was granted to continue descending for a straight-in approach to runway 33. At 08:24 it reported to Approach Control ten minutes from the station, at 15 000 feet, still in descent. By 08:30 hours it had reached 12000 feet over Las Palmas. As it was too high for a straight-in approach to runway 33, Approach Control suggested that it make a 360-degree turn over Las Palmas and report again overhead Las Palmas. The aircraft continued descending. It turned slightly right of its 330 degree heading, passing east of Lima Airport, then made a left turn and passed over Lima-Callao Airport. It continued turning until it was headed south, passing west of Las Palmas in order to initiate the outbound procedure from the ILS back course, and then made a 180 degree turn to intercept the ILS back course (327 degrees). However, it kept to the normal intercept course for almost three minutes before starting its turn to the north. Its heading was 333 degrees when it hit La Cruz Peak, about 8 miles east of the approach track of the Morro Solar ILS back course.

While descending to Pointe-à-Pitre on a flight from Paris to Santiago de Chile, the crew encountered poor weather conditions at destination, worse than forecast. On approach by night, the four engine aircraft struck the slope of a hill (427 m) located 25 km northwest of Le Raizet Airport. The aircraft crashed in flames in a dense wooded area and was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire. All 113 occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the VOR was unserviceable and the approach was possible via an NDB only. Weather conditions were poor with low visibility due to thunderstorm activity in the area. Also, the aircraft was off course by 15 km due to interference on the ADF systems caused by the thunderstorm activity.
Crew:
Mr. Lesieur, pilot,
Mr. Farret, copilot,
Mr. Hurlimann, navigator,
Mr. Pruvost, mechanic,
Mrs. Micoud, stewaradess,
Mrs. D’Horne, stewardess,
Mrs. Page, stewardess,
Mr. Epper, steward,
Mr. Gassler, steward,
Mr. Cage, steward.

The Boeing 707 aircraft, named "Chateau de Sully", was on a non-scheduled (charter) international flight from Paris (ORY) to Atlanta (ATL) and Houston via New York (JFK). Ten crew and 122 passengers were on the flight when, after a considerable delay to await the arrival of passengers, it was cleared to take off from runway 08 at Orly Airport at 11:32 UTC. It aligned itself for takeoff and waited 6 seconds, which permitted the setting and checking of takeoff parameters on the four engines. Full thrust was applied, and the aircraft accelerated normally. From testimony and flight recorder data, the takeoff was reconstructed as follows. Between 20 to 40 seconds after the start of the roll, the rate of acceleration was steady at 1.80 m/s2. The aircraft rolled along the runway centre line without showing any tendency to veer to either side. V1, determined as 147 kt IAS, was attained after a ground roll of 1500 m. This was followed by VR, 158 kt IAS. Forty-eight seconds after the beginning of the takeoff run and approximately when passing the 1800 m mark, the aircraft reached the rotation speed (VR), and the pilot-in-command initiated the takeoff manoeuvre by pulling backwards on the control column. According to witnesses, the aircraft made an incomplete rotational movement about 2100 m from the threshold. It remained for 4 to 6 seconds with its nose slightly raised. Then the nose dropped when the brakes were applied. Thick smoke streamed from the wheels. The aircraft was 2600 m from its starting point and had reached a maximum speed of 179 kt IAS. It braked for the last 680 m of the runway with an average deceleration of 1.2 to 1.3 m/s After 250 m of braking the aircraft veered slightly to the left, and 50deg of flap were selected. Then after another 250 m the aircraft listed heavily to starboard. Its path then curved right, which suggests a possible attempt to ground loop. However, the aircraft's speed precluded the success of this manoeuvre, and it left the runway while still on the centre line. It rolled for a while on the grass extension of the runway but, because of the unevenness of the terrain and the high speed of the aircraft (160 kt), the port gear broke off 110 m from the end of the runway and was wrenched away. The aircraft pivoted left, and engines No. 1 and 2 scraped the ground. Fire broke out in the port wing at the level of the landing gear. About 300 m beyond the end of the runway the aircraft crossed the encircling road. The starboard gear collapsed, and No. 2 engine broke loose. It then struck the approach lights, which represented a considerable obstacle. It started to disintegrate when reaching the hollow at the end of the runway extension, which descends at a steep angle towards the Seine. The front part of the fuselage struck a house and garage. The nose of the aircraft broke away, and the rest of the fuselage came to a stop 100 m further on. The site of the accident was 550 m beyond the end of runway 08 on its extended centre line, at an elevation of 89 m. The airplane was completely destroyed by a post crash fire. Two stewardess who seated in the rear were slightly injured while all 130 other occupants were killed.
Crew members who were killed:
Roland-Paul Hoche, pilot,
Jacques-Marcel Pitoiset, copilot,
Raymond Gautrand, navigator,
Robert-Gaston Barres, mechanic,
Marie-Geneviève Barot, stewardess,
Robert Mancel, cabin chief,
François Gutrupi, steward,
Robert Lugon, steward.

On the night of May 22, 1962, a Continental Air Lines Boeing 707-124, N70775, operating as Flight 11 en route from O’Hare Airport, Chicago, Illinois, to Kansas City, Missouri, was flying via Jet Route 26V at an altitude of 39,000 feet. A few minutes after Flight 11 had made a northerly deviation from course to circumnavigate a thunderstorm, in the vicinity of Centerville, Iowa, the radar image of the aircraft disappeared from the scope of the Waverly, Iowa, Flight Following Service. At approximately 2117 an explosion occurred in the right rear lavatory resulting in separation of the tail section from the fuselage. The aircraft broke up and the main part of the fuselage struck the ground about 6 miles north-northwest of Unionville, Missouri. All 37 passengers and crew of 8 sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was totally destroyed.

Flight One was cleared for takeoff from Runway 31L on a regularly scheduled nonstop flight to Los Angeles, California, and became airborne at 1007 e.s.t. The takeoff and initial climb appeared to be normal and a gentle turn to the left was started about 8,000 feet down the runway near taxiway AA, at an altitude of about 100 feet. Straightening out from this turn the aircraft continued to climb for several seconds on a magnetic heading of 290 degrees, and started a second turn to the left, apparently in compliance with radar vector directions given by Departure Control. In the second turn the airplane continued to climb. After initiation of the second turn the angle of bank increased until the airplane rolled through 90 degrees of bank at a peak altitude of about 1,600 feet m.s.1. It then entered an inverted, nose-low attitude and plunged earthward in a nearly vertical dive. The airplane struck the shallow waters of Pumpkin Patch Channel of Jamaica Bay approximately three miles southwest of the Idlewild Control Tower at 1008:49 Floating debris and fuel ignited a few minutes later and burned fiercely. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and there were no survivors among the 95 occupants.

During the takeoff roll on runway 23, at a speed of 120 knots, the captain noted the aircraft was turning slightly to the left and was unable to counteract. As a result, he decided to abandon the takeoff procedure and attempted an emergency braking maneuver. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the airplane overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest in a field located 140 meters the runway end, broken in three. Four crew members and six passengers were seriously injured while 31 other occupants were unhurt. The aircraft was destroyed.

Following an uneventful transatlantic flight from New York, the crew started the approach to runway 20 at Brussels-Zaventem Airport. On short final, while at an altitude of 900 feet, the crew raised the landing gear, increased engine power and made a go around. The plane made three 360° turns to the left and climbed to 1,500 feet. During these turns the bank angle increased more and more until the aircraft was in a near vertical bank. The wings then leveled, followed by an abrupt pitch up. The 707 lost speed, started to spiral rapidly towards the ground nose down, crashed and caught fire. All 72 occupants were killed as well as one farmer working in the field. Among the passengers were 17 members of the US National Hockey Team who were flying to Prague to take part to the World Championship.