Pan Am Flight 151
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 22, 1951 |
| Type | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | Monrovia, Liberia |
| Passengers | 31 |
| Crew | 9 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Fatalities | 40 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-049 Constellation |
| Aircraft name | Clipper Republic |
| Operator | Pan Am |
| Tail number | N88846 |
Pan Am Flight 151, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation (registration N88846) named the "Clipper Great Republic" en route from Accra, Ghana, to Monrovia, Liberia, crashed on approach into a hill at an elevation of 1050 feet near near a village called Sanoye in Bong County in Liberia, 54 miles (86km) from Roberts Field on June 22, 1951. There were no survivors amongst the 31 passengers and nine crew members.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
The flight crew reported to Roberts Field that the radio beacon at Dakar was interfering with the radio beacon at Roberts Field in Monrovia.[1] After the flight was reported missing at 0410h on June 22, an aerial search was conducted but was unsuccessful in locating the aircraft. At 1430h on June 23, a foot messenger arrived from the village of Sanoye to report that an aircraft crashed into the side of a hill one day earlier about 2.4 miles from the village and that everyone aboard was killed.
It was determined that the location where the flight crashed was beyond the effective range of the Roberts Field beacon. This combined with the report from the crew that the Dakar beacon was interferring with the Roberts Field beacon, the frequency of the Roberts Field beacon was changed to provide greater separation of frequencies between the two beacons.[2] Investigation of the wreckage revealed no indications of mechanical malfunction, the aircraft had enough fuel for another eight hours of flight, the weight and disposition of the payload was within allowable limits, and the weather was above minimums.
[edit] Cause
The Civil Aeronautics Board investigation concluded that the probable cause of the accident was the action of the captain in descending below his en route minimum altitude without positive identification of the flight's position.
[edit] References
- ^ Accident Investigation Report (PDF), U.S. Department of Transportation Library.
- ^ Accident Investigation Report (PDF), Aviation Safety (AVSAF).
[edit] External links
- Aircraft accident description Aviation Safety Network
