Trans-World Airlines Flight 5787
| Trans-World Airlines Flight 5787 | |
|---|---|
_JP5934554.jpg) An identical Boeing 707-331C of the TWA |
|
| Accident summary | |
| Accident type | Loss of control |
| place |
Atlantic City International Airport , New Jersey , United States
|
| date | July 26, 1969 |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| 1. Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type |
Boeing 707-331C
|
| operator |
Trans World Airlines
|
| Mark |
N787TW
|
| Departure airport |
Atlantic City International Airport , New Jersey , United States
|
| Destination airport |
Atlantic City International Airport , New Jersey , United States
|
| Passengers | 0 |
| crew | 5 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| 2. Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type |
 de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
|
| operator |
 USAF
|
| Mark | 576-109 |
| Survivors | - |
| 3. Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type |
Douglas C-47
|
| operator |
Federal Aviation Administration
|
| Mark |
N-7
|
| Survivors | - |
| Lists of aviation accidents | |
Trans World Airlines flight 5787 (flight number: TW5787 ) was a training and test flight of Trans World Airlines on July 26, 1969, on which the Boeing 707-331C N787TW used had an accident. All five occupants of the machine were killed in the accident.
plane
The machine was a Boeing 707-331C Cargojet, whose maiden flight took place on April 6, 1964. On May 20, 1964, the machine was delivered to Trans World Airlines and has since been operated continuously by them under the aircraft registration number N787TW . It was the 373. Boeing 707 off the production line on the Boeing Field end-mounted machine carried the work number 18712th The four-engine long-range narrow-body aircraft was equipped with four Turbojettriebwerken type Pratt & Whitney Jt3d-3B equipped. By the time of the accident, the machine had had a cumulative operating performance of 17,590 operating hours.
Inmates
There was a crew of five on board on the flight. The seating positions of the crew members could later be reconstructed on the basis of recordings from the cockpit voice recorder . There was a three-person crew in the cockpit:
- The 38-year-old test captain Donald Sklarin sat in the right pilot's seat of the machine. Sklarin flew for the TWA since October 8, 1956. On January 31, 1967 he was promoted to flight captain. He had type ratings for the Douglas DC-6 , Douglas DC-7 and the Boeing 707 and 720 aircraft . On February 7, 1968, he was appointed test captain for Boeing 707 aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration . Sklarin had gained 6080 hours of flight experience at TWA, including 1314 hours in the cockpit of the Boeing 707. He had successfully passed his last flight proficiency test on February 13, 1969.
- The 56-year-old flight captain Harry D. Caines, whose regular flight proficiency test was carried out on the flight, sat in the pilot's left seat. He had been flying for the TWA since May 14, 1940. On March 7, 1946, he had been promoted to flight captain. He had type ratings for the types Douglas DC-3 and Douglas DC-4 , Lockheed Constellation and Boeing 707 and 720. Caines had 27,436 hours of flight experience. Of these, he had completed 4,330 hours in the cockpit of the Boeing 707. His last flight proficiency test was on January 8, 1969.
- The 29-year-old second officer Frank J. Jonke sat in the position of flight engineer. On November 29, 1968 he had signed a flight engineer training contract with the TWA. On April 9, 1969, he was promoted to flight engineer. He also had a commercial pilot license , albeit not as a commercial aircraft pilot , which he had acquired on December 7, 1963. Jonke had 3772 hours of flight experience, 142 of which he had gained on Boeing aircraft. He passed his last flight proficiency test on July 16, 1969 with success.
In addition, there were two cabin crew members on board.
Purpose of flight
On that day, the machine was flown for test flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport to the much less frequented Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey . The plane had arrived there after it had operated the Trans-World Airlines flight 609-26 from Frankfurt am Main via London , Shannon and Boston . The aim of the test flight , which had Atlantic City Airport as its start and finish point, was to carry out the regular flight proficiency tests prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration for the three pilots on board.
the accident
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In addition to other maneuvers, the test program also provided for a missed approach in a simulated instrument approach with a simulated engine failure . During this maneuver and after the landing gear and the spoilers had been fully extended, there was a loss of hydraulic fluid in the area of the right outer spoiler servomotor at an altitude of 300 feet (approx. 91 meters). According to the safety regulations of the TWA, it was planned to switch off all hydraulic pumps in such cases. The pilots switched off the hydraulic system and increased the thrust of engines 1, 2 and 3 in order to take off. Engine no. 4 received no thrust because the thrust lever had been pulled back for the test program. The thrust of the engine was not restored afterwards either, so that 21 seconds after the hydraulic systems had been switched off there was a loss of controllability. Eleven seconds later, the plane hit the ground with a roll to the right and the nose pointing down. Upon impact, the kerosene exploded in the aircraft's wing tanks. Two parked aircraft were damaged by the flames. The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter of the United States Army with the serial number 57-6109 , which was removed only 550 feet away to the point of impact, was hit by flying debris and so badly damaged by the flames that they off as a total loss had to become. The Federal Aviation Administration's Douglas DC-3 C with aircraft registration N-7 was also affected by the heat.
Accident investigation
The US National Transport Safety Authority (NTSB) took over the investigation after the accident. The investigators found that the accident had been caused by the fact that the pilots switched off the hydraulic circuit while flying below the decision height without first having restored engine No. 4 performance.
consequences
The only aircraft involved in the repaired Douglas C-47 was again involved in an accident on January 4, 1971 at LaGuardia Airport , in which it had to be written off as a total loss. The machine hit 2000 feet (approx. 610 meters) in front of runway 04 during an ILS approach. Both crew members on board survived the incident.
swell
- Final report of the National Transportation Safety Board on 25 March 1970th
- Crash of a Boeing 707-331C in Atlantic City: 5 killed , B3A - Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives
- TRANS WORLD AIRLINES, INC. BOEING 707-331C, N787TW NATIONAL AVIATION FACILITIES EXPERIMENTAL CENTER ATLANTIC CITY AIRPORT POMONA, NEW JERSEY. JULY 26, 1969
Individual evidence
- ↑ Accident report Boeing 707-331C N787TW , Aviation Safety Network
- ^ Accident report DHC-3 Otter 57-6109 , Aviation Safety Network
- ^ Accident report on the accident of a Douglas C-47, N-7 on January 4, 1971 in the Aviation Safety Network
Coordinates: 39 ° 26 ′ 56 ″ N , 74 ° 33 ′ 50 ″ W.