San Francisco – Honolulu – Agana – Manille – Saigon

On July 25, 1971 at 01:21 PM, San Francisco – Honolulu – Agana – Manille – Saigon experienced a crash involving Boeing 707, operated by Pan American World Airways - PAA, with the event recorded near Manila Metro Manila.

The flight was categorized as cargo and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a mountains crash site.

4 people were known to be on board, 4 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 4, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Flight 6005 was a scheduled international cargo flight from San Francisco to Saigon with intermediate stops at Honolulu, Guam and Manila. The flight from San Francisco to Honolulu and Guam was uneventful. At 2125 hours GMT on 24 July 1971, the flight took off from Guam for Manila. Initial contact with the flight was established by Manila Control at 2400 hours and the controller provided the flight with the latest weather information for Manila. At 0013 hours the flight reported having passed Jamalig one minute before, being at 67 DME and out of FL 200. It was then handed over by Manila Control to Manila approach control. The approach controller cleared the flight to BA and provided the crew with the following weather information: wind 280°/20 kts, visibility 7 kms, light rain, cloud 3/8 at 4 000 ft and 8/8 at 9 000 ft. At 0018 hours the flight was cleared for a VOR/DME approach to Runway 24 from the Bangbang Intersection and one minute later the flight reported commencing the approach. At 0021 hours the flight reported 22 DME out of 5 000 ft for 4 000 ft and 20 seconds later reaching 4 200 ft. This was acknowledged by the controller who, thereafter was unable to establish contact with the flight. It was subsequently found that at approximately 0023 hours the aircraft collided with Mt Kamunay some 20 miles ENE of the Manila VOR, at an altitude of 2 525 ft. Witnesses residing near the scene of the accident testified that they had heard the sound of an aircraft which ceased in an explosion, followed by two other explosions, one immediately thereafter and the second one a little later. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all four crew members were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration N461PA, MSN 19371/653, year of manufacture 1967.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 14.5800°, 120.9855°.