| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 30, 1974 |
| Type | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | 0.8 miles from Pago Pago International Airport, American Samoa |
| Passengers | 91 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Injuries | 4 |
| Fatalities | 97 |
| Survivors | 4 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 707-321B |
| Aircraft name | Clipper Radiant |
| Operator | Pan American World Airways |
| Tail number | N454PA |
| Flight origin | Auckland International Airport |
| 1st stopover | Pago Pago International Airport |
| 2nd stopover | Honolulu International Airport |
| Destination | Los Angeles International Airport |
Pan Am Flight 806, a Boeing 707-321B, was a scheduled flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Los Angeles, California with intermediate stops at Pago Pago, American Samoa and Honolulu, Hawaii. On January 30, 1974 it crashed on approach to Pago Pago International Airport. Eighty seven passengers and 10 crew members were killed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the crash was the flight crew's late recognition, and failure to correct in a timely manner, an excessive descent rate which developed as a result of the aircraft's penetration through destabilizing wind changes. The winds consisted of horizontal and vertical components produced by a heavy rainstorm and influenced by uneven terrain close to the aircraft's approach path. The captain's recognition was hampered by restricted visibility, the illusory effects of a "black hole" approach, inadequate monitoring of flight instruments, and the failure of the crew to call out descent rate during the last 15 seconds of flight.
The flight crew consisted of 52-year old Captain Leroy A. Petersen, 37-year old First Officer Richard V. Gaines, 43-year old Third Officer James S. Phillips, and 37-year old Flight Engineer Gerry W. Green.[1]
All 10 crew members died, while 86 passengers ultimately died. 9 passengers and 1 crew member survived the initial crash and fire. One passenger died the day after the accident. Three days after the accident, the remaining crew member and three passengers died.[2] One passenger counted as a survivor died 9 days after the accident.[3]
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