1973 — July 22, Pan Am 816 plunges into sea after takeoff, Papeete, Tahiti –35US of 78

–78 Gero. Aviation Disasters: The World’s Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950. 1996, 119.
–78 UPI. “Probe Tahiti Waters For Flight Recorder.” Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo. 7-26-1973, p. 4.
–35 Americans
–19 California (Blanchard tally; UPI noted 18.)
–1 Berkeley. Barbara Sil. (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Cupertino. Rita Van Beekum. Flight purser. (NYT. 7-24-1973.)
–1 Danville. Flight engineer Isaac N. Lambert, 34. (Wikipedia. Pan Am 816)
–1 Grass Valley. Cpt. Robert M. Evarts, 59. (Wikipedia. Pan Am 816) –6 Hillsborough family. UPI/Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo. 7-26-1973, p4. –Nelsons: Christine, Christopher, John, Nicole, Patrick, Philip.
–1 Los Angeles. Hans W. Nawruth (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Los Gatos. Ilse Leman. (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–2 Mountain View. Ann L. and James C. Zapp. (NYT. 7-24-1973.)
–2 Richmond. Kenneth and Lucille Olson. (NYT. “One…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 San Jose. Meredith Lester (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Tamarillo. Richard Goe. (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Ventura. Mrs. Jenell Bower. (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
— 2 District of Columbia.
–1 Edna Armstrong. (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Marvin Coles. (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
— 1 Maryland, Towson. John Marquis. (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
— 6 New York
–4 New York City family. UPI/Pacific Stars & Stripes, Tokyo. 7-26-1973, 4.
–1 Sue McWeeney (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Thomas McWeeney (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Thomas Raymond McWeeney (NYT. 7-24-1973.)
–1 New York City. Janet Liston.
–1 Rochester. Navigator Frederick W. Fischer, 32. (Wikipedia. Pan Am 816)
— 2 Ohio (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Powell. Edward Marquis
–1 Powell, Nancy Marquis
— 1 Oregon. First officer Lyle C. Havens, 59, Medford. (Wikipedia. Pan Am 816)
–2 Rhode Island, Pawtucket. (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Aaron Gershkoff.
–1 Mrs. Mario Gershkoff.
— 6 Residences not noted. (NYT. “One Survives…” 7-24-1973.)
–1 Mrs. Jeanie Britt.
–1 Marie F. Gamble
–1 Paul Hubert
–1 Gregory M. Kvasnika
–1 John W. Kvasnika
–1 Vachau Kvasnika
–1 Linda R. Steinberg
–37 Fatalities identified with U.S. residences. (Blanchard tally, though UPI notes 35.)

Narrative Information

Gero: “
“Date: 22 July 1973 (22:06)
“Location: Off Papeete, Tahiti
“Operator: Pan American World Airways (US)
“Aircraft type: Boeing 707-321 B (N417PA)

“This inexplicable crash involved Flight 816, which had originated at Auckland, New Zealand, and landed at Faaa Airport serving Papeete, before continuing on towards the US, with a planned stop at Honolulu, Hawaii, and an ultimate destination of Los Angeles, California.

“Using Runway 04, the 707 took off into the darkness, then initiated a left turn, as cleared. About 30 sec after becoming airborne, however, the jet airliner plunged into the Pacific Ocean approximately 2 miles (3 km) from the end of the runway and to the left of its extended centerline, killing 78 persons aboard, including the entire crew of 10; though he was seriously injured one passenger survived. Among the victims was a stewardess who succumbed in a hospital after also being rescued alive.

“Ten bodies and a small amount of debris, including the aircraft’s nose gear and pieces of its cabin furnishings, were recovered. Mot of the wreckage, however, was lost in wat4r some 2,300 ft (700 m) deep and could not be located, despite a three-day search using sonar equipment. This lack of evidence and, especially, the failure to find either the flight data recorder (FDR) or cockpit voice recorder (CVR), prevented the French investigative commission from determining the cause of the disaster.

“The jet reportedly ascended at a lower than normal climb gradient after taking off. During the low-altitude left turn, the 707 lost height, descending at a shallow angle, and at the moment of impact its undercarriage was apparently up and its flaps were either at the take-off position or in the process of being retracted.

“As noted in the accident report, a malfunction in one power plant should not have jeopardized the flight, and obtained evidence cast doubt on the theory that the aircraft had experienced multiple engine failure. Nor were there any indications, including the absence of a distress message, of a control system malfunction or other serious emergency. Considered more likely was that the failure of an instrument or system had diverted the crew’s attention while in the turn, with a resultant excessive bank leading to the loss of altitude. Also, since the turn was made out towards the sea, no visual references would have been available to counter the change in the angle of the town lights visible on the right-hand side of the aircraft. This could have created the illusion of ascent. Whether involuntary or intentional, the steep bank in itself could have created a hazardous situation.

“Both the captain and first officer, who were but a year from retirement, had been undergoing regular treatment for hypertension, and an autopsy performed on the latter revealed a serious arteriosclerotic condition. However, there was no evidence that the health of either pilot played a role in the crash.

“The weather, which only minutes before the disaster consisted of rain, a solid overcast at about 8,000 ft (2,500 m) and scattered clouds down to around 2,300 ft (700 m), and a visibility of approximately 5 miles (10 km), was not considered a factor.” (Gero, David. Aviation Disasters: The World’s Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950 (Second Edition). 1996, pp. 119-120.)

Newspaper

July 26: “Papeete, Tahiti (UPI) – Working by floodlights, rescuers searched Tuesday [July 24] for bodies from a crashed Boeing 707 jetliner and officials debated how to reach the plan’s black box flight recorder 1,640 feet under the sea. Only one persons survived when the Pan American Airways Flight 816 plunged into the South Pacific a mile off Papeete port Sunday night.

“A total 79 passengers and crew were aboard the plane, which was en route from Auckland, New Zealand, to San Francisco via Papeete and Los Angeles. More than 24 hours after the crash, 11 bodies had been recovered from the oil-coated area where a flotilla of launches, pleasure boats and fishing craft brought debris from the plane ashore for examination by experts.

“The black box may contain evidence of what went on in the cockpit in the critical seconds but officials said the depth at which the wreckage of the plane lay provided a retrieval problem.

“A total of 35 Americans, including a family of six from Hillsborough, Calif., and a family of four from New York, were among the victims. Reports from Hillsborough said the dead included 18 Californians, six of them from the John Nelson family. The other family wiped out was that of Thomas McWeeney, Hong Kong manager for First National City Bank, his wife and two children.

“Only one persons, James Campbell, 27, of Toronto, Ontario, survived.” (UPI. “Probe Tahiti Waters For Flight Recorder.” Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. 7-26-1973, p. 4.)

Sources

Gero, David. Aviation Disasters: The World’s Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950 (Second Edition). London: Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996.

New York Times. “One Survives as U.S. Airliner Crashes With 79 Aboard in the Ocean Off Tahiti.” 7-24-1973, p. 31. Accessed 12-30-2021 at: https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/24/archives/one-survives-as-us-airliner-crashes-with-79-aboard-in-the-ocean-off.html

UPI (United Press International). “Probe Tahiti Waters For Flight Recorder.” Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. 7-26-1973, p. 4. Accessed 12-30-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/pacific-stars-and-stripes-jul-26-1973-p-4/

Wikipedia. “Pan Am Flight 816.” 12-26-2021 edit. Accessed 12-30-2021 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_816