Pan Am Flight 759

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**Pan American Flight 759**
Summary
Date	July 9, 1982
Type	Microburst-induced wind shear
Site	Kenner, Louisiana
Fatalities	153 (8 on the ground)
Injuries	0
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 727-235
Operator	Pan American World Airways
Tail number	N4737
Ship name	Clipper Defiance
Passengers	138
Crew	7
Survivors	0

On July 9, 1982, Pan American Flight 759, Clipper Defiance, a Boeing 727-235, N4737, was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Miami to Las Vegas, with an en route stop at New Orleans. About 4:07:57 PM central daylight time, Clipper Defiance, with seven crew members, one non-revenue passenger in the cockpit jumpseat, and 137 passengers (a total of 145 people on board), began its takeoff from runway 10 at the New Orleans International Airport, Kenner, Louisiana.

At the time of Clipper Defiance's takeoff, there were thunderstorms over the east end of the airport. The winds were gusty and swirling. Clipper Defiance lifted off the runway, climbed to an altitude of between 95 and 150 feet (29 and 46 m), and then began to descend. About 2,376 feet (724 m) from the end of runway, Clipper Defiance struck a line of trees at an altitude of about 50 feet (15 m). The aircraft continued descending for another 2,234 feet (681 m), hitting trees and houses before crashing in a residential area about 4,610 feet (1405 m) from the end of the runway.

Clipper Defiance was destroyed during the impact, explosion, and subsequent ground fire. A total of 153 people were killed (all 145 on board and 8 on the ground). Six houses were destroyed; five houses were damaged substantially.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the aircraft's encounter with a microburst-induced wind shear during the liftoff, which imposed a downdraft and a decreasing headwind, the effects of which the pilot would have had difficulty recognizing and reacting to in time for the aircraft's descent to be arrested before its impact with trees. Contributing to the accident was the limited capability of then-current wind shear detection technology.

This article contains information taken from the NTSB Accident Report and is considered government-generated public domain.