CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT
PAN AMERICAN WORLD AIRWAYS, BOEING 707, N 707PA
NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
JULY 11-12, 1959
SYNOPSIS
At 0029 e.s.t., on July 12, 1959, Pan American World Airways Flight 102 made a successful emergency landing at New York International Airport after losing two of the four wheels of the left main gear. The airplane, a Boeing 707, N 707PA, received major damage to the left main landing gear. Four of the 102 passengers aboard were injured during deplaning.
The loss of the two wheels was caused by a failure of the forward truck beam. This failure was induced by undetected damage to the beam when it contacted the lower torsion link assembly antirotation bolt. This could only have occurred in one of two previous flights. On one of the previous flights the snubber failed on takeoff and on the other flight the snubber had been removed. Either condition would have permitted the truck beam to pitch up sufficiently to cause this contact. The manufacturer has prepared several engineering changes which will prevent recurrence of this type of failure. These changes are discussed in the report.
During the emergency, which lasted approximately four hours, radio and television announcements attracted to the airport large crowds of curiosity seekers who seriously hampered the work of emergency rescue personnel.
Representatives of the Port of New York Authority, New York Fire Department, and the Police Department are reviewing emergency procedures on a continuing basis to improve them whenever possible.
Investigation
Pan American World Airways (PAA) Flight 102 is a regular nonstop flight from New York International Airport (Idlewild) to London, England. The trip of July 11 carried 102 passengers and a crew of 11.
Routine preparations for the flight were completed. Takeoff was planned on runway 25L with a gross weight of 244,805 pounds, of which 94,547 pounds consisted of fuel.
The flight, which had been delayed approximately 30 minutes for a wheel change, took off at 2037[1]. Immediately after the aircraft became airborne,
- ↑ All times herein are eastern standard based on the 24-hour clock.
