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Boeing 720B accident report

Monday 4 December 1961 Lufthansa Boeing 720-030B D-ABOK s/n 18058

Training flight from Frankfurt (FRA) to Koln (CGN) with 3 crew and no passengers.

For unclear reason the aircraft dived in the ground near Ebersheim while doing some manoeuvres. First flight : 15 March 1961. engines : JT3D-1. All people on board died in the crash. location : +- 2 km 49°54’48”N 8°14’50”E

On February 12, 1963, the 720-051B N724US c/n 18354 of Northwest Orient Airlines crashed. It was as flight 705 departed from RW27L from Miami (MIA) to Chicago (ORD) with 35 passengers and 8 crew members. However, it ends up in heavy turbulence and breaks into pieces in the air. The wreckage ends up in the remote swamp of Everglades National Park, 37 miles WZW from Miami International Airport. There are no survivors. The aircraft had made its first flight on 17 April 1962 and had 4685 flight hours on the clocks. Location : +- 3km 25°34'N 80°54'W

Wednesday 15 July 1964 Lufthansa Boeing 720-030B D-ABOP s/n 18249

Training flight from Frankfurt with 3 crew and no passengers.

During manoeuvres it went out of control. Overstressed the aircraft broke up in flight and crashed in flames between Petersdorf and Forst. First flight : 04 Jan. 1964. engines : JT3D-1. All 3 crew on board died in the crash. location : 8km NE of Ansbach +- 250m 49°21’22”N 10°39’28”E

On May 20, 1965, Boeing 720-040B AP-AMH c/n 18379 of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crashed shortly before landing at Cairo. It operated Flight 705 between Dhahran (DHA) and Cairo (CAI) with 114 passengers and 13 crew members. The aircraft descends too far, for unknown reasons, during the approach of RW34 and flies to the ground. There are 121 dead and 6 seriously injured. The aircraft had made its first flight in 1962 and was equipped with JT3D-3B engines. Location +-100m 30°01'37.06"N 31°27'03.76"E

On January 01, 1976, a bomb exploded in the front hold of the 707-023(B) OD-AFT c/n 18020 of Middle East Airlines that was en route with 66 passengers and 15 crew members as Flight 438 from Beirut (BEY) to Dubai (DXB). The aircraft crashes out of control in the desert 37km NW of Al Qaysumah in Saudi Arabia, killing all. The aircraft had made its first flight on September 23, 1960 and was delivered to American Airlines on October 10, 1960 as N7534A. The aircraft was sold to MEA in March 1972. Engines : JT3D-1-MC7. The aircraft was delivered as 720 with JT3C-7 turbojets and was later converted to 720B. Location +-2km 28°37'N 45°53'E

6 fatal accidents with 256 fatalities between 1961 and 1976

safe flight hours till fatality : 18562 [hr] (6 service years)