1968 — Dec 12, Pan Am Flight 217, from NYC, crashes into sea off Caracas, VENZ–51/US 21

–51 Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Pan American World Airways 217.
–51 Eckert. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” AJFM&P, 3/1, March 1982, Table 1.
–51 New York Times. “U.S. Plane With 51 Down off Caracas” 12-13-1968, pp. 1 and 12.

–21 Blanchard count of crew and passengers identified as US citizens or residents.
— 8 US crew members. St. Petersburg Times, FL. “Crash,” cont. from p.1. 12-14-1968, A8.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network:

Date: Thursday 12 December 1968
Time: 22:02
Type: Boeing 707-321B
Operator: Pan American World Airways (Pan Am)
Registration: N494PA
….
Crew: Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9
Passengers: Fatalities: 42 / Occupants: 42
Total: Fatalities: 51 / Occupants: 51
….
Location: 18.4 km (11.5 mls) N off Caracas (Venezuela)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature: International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY (JFK)
Destination airport: Caracas-Simon Bolivar International Airport (CCS/SVMI)…
Flight number: PA217
Narrative:

“Pan Am flight 217, a Boeing 707-300 named “Clipper Malay”, crashed into the sea to the north off Caracas, Venezuela. The crew possibly descended into the sea due to an optical illusion created by the lights of the city on an upslope.”

Newspaper

Dec 13: “Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Dec. 13 – A Pan American jetliner carrying 51 persons on a flight here from New York crashed in the Caribbean last night on its approach to Maiquetia International Airport. Venezuelan naval vessels and aircraft spotted the wreckage on the plane, a Boeing 707 on Flight 217, bobbing in the water some 10 miles from the airport runway. The airport control tower and the port authority at the coastal city of La Guayra reported that ‘there are no sighs of life’ around the wreckage.

“[A majority of the passengers were Venezuelan citizens, although two Cubans and several United States citizens were also believed to be aboard, The Associated Press reported.]

“The plane, piloted by Capt. Sidney E. Stillwaugh of West Islip, L. I. [Long Island, NY], left Kennedy International Airport at 4:40 P.M., New York time. It was due in Caracas at 9:05.

“Spokesmen at the airport here said they lost contact with the 707 when it was 18 miles from the airport and flying at an altitude of 1,800 feet. By 9:50 the plane was officially reported missing and a search was ordered. Venezuelan vessels went out into calm seas and planes flew in clear skies looking for signs of wreckage. These were not found until some two hours later.

“A Venezuelan National Guard officer stationed at the airport, 17 miles from the city, said he had seen a plane burst into flames and plunge into the sea.

“Among the passengers on the flight was Mrs. Olga Antonetti Dugarte, who in 1963 was Miss Venezuela. She had been traveling with hour young daughter.

“Pan American officials said the plane was on its final approach to the airport when it fell. There were no radio messages that it was in trouble….The Caracas plane, on a non-stop flight, was about half full.

“Followings is a list of those aboard the plane:

Crew Members

Stillwaugh, Sidney, captain, of 137 Sequams Lane, West Islip, L. I. [Long Island, NY]
Canell, John, co-pilot, of Leonia, N. J.
Perez, Alfred C. – Purser [Of Valley Stream, NY]
Ambery, M. – Stewardess, originally from Ottawa, Canada.
Bullyard, Francisca – Stewardess [Franciska B. Buyers of New York City]
Claplen, Heidrun – Female purser [Heidi Caplan] [Of New York City]
Johnson, Eva – Stewardess [Eva Johansson of Stockholm, Sweden]
Kane, Katherine – Stewardess [Catherine Kane of Roslyn Heights, NY]
Titus, Richard H., engineer. [Of Ridgewood, NJ]

Passengers

Bigott, Luis
Carecia, M.
Cruz, Ricardo
Curra, Rafael
De Dugarte, Olga Antonetti
De Dugarte, (First name unavailable)
De La Torre, O.
Engeleand, H.
Eudemisheli, S.
Eudemisheli, (First name unavailable)
Eudemisheli, (First name unavailable)
Gonzalez, Luis
Graham, Nelly
Gray, Norberto
Guttman, P.
Haynes, Clemm [Mrs. P. Hayes of Minneapolis, MN]
Jarcke, J.
Kantor, J. [Mr. Joseph Kantor, New York City]
Kantor, (First name unavailable) [Mrs. Joseph Kantor of New York City]
Klemig, H.
Kort, Sophia
Lariviere, L.
Lasker, Bernardo [Mr. Bernard Laskar of New York City]
Lasker, (first name unavailable) [Mrs. Bernard Laskar of New York City]
Martinez, J.
Martinez, Manuel
Miers, Gloria
Molina, A. Molina, (No first name)
Morrero, Antonio
Rodreguez, Ana [Ana Rodriguez, of Union City, NJ]
Rodreguez, De Maris [DeMaris Rodriguez, husband of Ana, living in Union City, NJ]
Salazar, Sebastian
Schnirer, A. [Alex Schnirer, believed to be from Knoxville, TN]
Stanek, O.
Sumpter, N. [of Philadelphia, PA]
Toscano, Frank [Mr. Frank Toscana, living in Fair Lawn, NJ.]
Toscano, Maria (Mrs. Maria Toscana, wife of Frank, living in Fair Lawn, NJ]
Turdisi, Eugenio
Vangaans, J.
Wilson, G.
Zambrano, Erno.” [Pineda Zambrano, living in New York City.]
[Not listed is George O. Myers, 54, of Dover, OH, president of Alimentos Heinz C.A.]

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Pan American World Airways 217. Accessed 4-6-2022 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19681212-0

Eckert, William G. “Fatal commercial air transport crashes, 1924-1981.” American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, Vol. 3, No. 1, March 1982, Table 1.

Hamilton Daily News Journal, OH. “Ohioan Victim in Jet Crash.” 12-14-1968, p. 1. Accessed 4-6-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/hamilton-daily-news-journal-dec-14-1968-p-1/

Josephclan.com. “List of crew and passengers killed on Pan Am 217 – ‘Clipper Malay.” Post by husband correcting spelling of name on blog page posted 6-17-2016. Accessed 4-6-2022 at: http://www.josephclan.com/tjblog/?page_id=1468

New York Times. “U.S. Plane With 51 Down off Caracas” 12-13-1968, pp. 1 and 12. Accessed 4-6-2022 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/12/13/76916174.html?pageNumber=1

St. Petersburg Times, FL. “Crash,” continued from p.1. 12-14-1968, A8. Accessed 4-6-2022 at: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FWRSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xHsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2345,2300194&hl=en