47 Years ago today: On 22 April 1974 a Pan American Boeing 707 flew into a mountain while on approach to Denpasar; killing all 107 occupants.
| Date: | Monday 22 April 1974 |
| Time: | 22:26 |
| Type: | Boeing 707-321B |
| Operator: | Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) |
| Registration: | N446PA |
| C/n / msn: | 19268/544 |
| First flight: | 1966 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 28000 |
| Cycles: | 9150 |
| Engines: | 4 Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3B |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 96 / Occupants: 96 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 107 / Occupants: 107 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 68 km (42.5 mls) NW of Denpasar ( |
| Crash site elevation: | 762 m (2500 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport (HKG/VHHH), Hong Kong |
| Destination airport: | Denpasar-Ngurah Rai Bali International Airport (DPS/WADD), Indonesia |
| Flightnumber: | PA812 |
Narrative:
A Boeing 707-321B passenger plane, N446PA, named “Clipper Climax”, was destroyed when it crashed into the side of a mountain near Denpasar, Indonesia.
Flight PA-812 was a scheduled international flight from Hong Kong (HKG) to Sydney (SYD), Australia with an intermediate stop at Denpasar (DPS), Bali.
The crew prepared for an approach to runway 09 at Denpasar. The airplane descended to an altitude of 2500 feet when it flew into the side of a mountain.
It appeared that the crew had initiated the let-down procedure after one of the ADF needles swung. The other needle remained steady, but the crew assumed that they were over the beacon when the aircraft was still about 30 NM North of the beacon.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: “The premature execution of a right-hand turn to join the 263 degrees outbound track which was based on the indication given by only one of the ADFs while the other one was still in steady condition”
