Passengers 21 Survivors 0 Date 17 September 1965 Fatalities 30 (all) | Crew 9 Aircraft type Boeing 707-121B Destination New York City Location Chances Peak | |
 | ||
Summary Pilot error, controlled flight into terrain Site Chances Peak, Montserrat Operator Pan American World Airways Summaries Pilot error, Controlled flight into terrain Similar Pan Am Flight 843, PIA Flight 705, 1965 Skyways Coach‑Ai, Continental Airlines Flight 12, Little Baldon air crash | ||
Pan Am Flight 292 was operated by a Boeing 707-120B that flew into Chances Peak on the island of Montserrat on 17 September 1965 while on a flight from Fort-de-France - Le Lamentin Airport in Martinique to Coolidge International Airport in Antigua and Barbuda. The aircraft was destroyed, there were no survivors among the 30 passengers and crew on board.
Contents
Aircraft
The aircraft, bearing the registration N708PA and named Clipper Constitution by its owner Pan American World Airways (Pan Am), was the first Boeing 707 built that had made the first flight of the type on 20 December 1957. It had been used by Boeing on test flights prior to delivery to Pan Am in November the following year.
Crash
The aircraft departed Fort-de-France's Le Lamentin Airport on a scheduled flight to New York City via St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda and San Juan, Puerto Rico. There were 21 passengers and a crew of nine on board. While on approach to Coolidge International Airport in stormy weather, at an altitude of 2,760 ft (841 m), the aircraft hit the 3,002 ft (915 m)-high Chances Peak and caught fire. The cause was determined to be pilot error: the crew made a navigational error and descended below the safe minimum altitude while unsure of their position.