On July 9, 1982, Pan American World Airways, Inc., Flight 759 (Clipper Defiance), a Boeing 727-235 , N4737, was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Miami, Florida, to Las Vegas, Nevada, with an en route stop at New Orleans, Louisiana. About 1607:57 central daylight time, Clipper Defiance, with 7 crewmembers, 1 nonrevenue passenger on the cockpit jumpseat, and 137 passengers on board, began its takeoff from runway 10 at the New Orleans International Airport, Kenner, Louisiana.
At the time of Flight 759's takeoff, there were showers over the east end
of the airport and to the east of the airport along the airplane's
intended takeoff path. The winds at the time were gusty, variable, and
swirling. Clipper Defiance lifted off the runway, climbed to an altitude of
between 95 feet to about 150 feet above the ground, and then began to
descend. The airplane struck a line of trees about 2,376 feet beyond the
departure end of runway 10 at an altitude of about 50 feet above the
ground. The airplane continued on an eastward track for another 2,234
feet hitting trees and houses and then crashed in a residential area
about 4,610 feet from the end of the runway.
The airplane was destroyed during the impact, explosion, and subsequent
ground fire. One hundred forty-five persons on board the airplane and 8
persons on the ground were killed in the crash. Six houses were
destroyed; five houses were damaged substantially.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable
cause of the accident was the airplane's encounter during the liftoff and
initial climb phase of flight with a microburst-induced wind shear 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 airplane's descent to be arrested before its impact with trees.
Contributing to the accident was the limited capability of current
ground-based low-level wind shear detection technology to provide
definitive guidance for controllers and pilots for use in avoiding low-
level wind shear encounters.
This article contains information taken from the NTSB Accident Report and is considered government-generated public domain.
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