Page:CAB Accident Report, Pacific Air Lines Flight 773.pdf/6

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The Board and the FBI conducted a thorough screening, vacuuming, and sluicing operation at the wreckage site. All human remains were X—rayed for metal. Fragments which could not be identified on the X-rays were extracted and inspected visually or by laboratory analysis. No bullets or unusual types of fractures were found. Toxicologic studies were essentially negative. Alcohol determination on the remains of the captain Was negative. Alcohol and drug determinations on the remains of the owner of the pistol were negative. Spectrographic examinations were made on Speciments of human tissue recovered at the crash site from the vicinity where the remains identified as those of passenger Gonzales were found. In one Specimen, the lead present in the sample was markedly elevated compared to the other metal components in the tissue, in.- dicating that the object causing the wound was lead or predominantly lead. No spectrographic examinations could be made of the captain and first officer be— cause of the lack of identifiable human remains.

The passenger cabin and cargo compartment floor of the Fairchild F-27 is approximately 17-1/2 inches lower than the cockpit floor. However, the jump seat, when folded away, provides a step of approximately 7-1/2 inches above the cargo compartment floor. The pilot seat of the F-27 has approximately a h-inch vertical adaustment. Therefore, the bullet indentation was approximater 148 to 52 inches above the passenger cabin and cargo compartment floor or ap— proxmately 31 to 35 inches above the cockpit floor, depending on the adjustment of the seat at the time. These measurements place the bullet indentation directly in line of fire between the captain's back and anyone standing in the aisleway between and slightly to the rear of the captain's and first officer's seats.

For the practical purposes of this report, the door between the passenger com- partment and the cargo compartment may be conSidered the cockpit door. There is no door between the cargo compartment and the flight deck.

rThere are two entrance doors to the cabin of the F-27. Passenger entrance and exit is via a combined stair-door in the left rear of the passenger com- pertinent. A cargo compartment is located between the passenger compartment and the cockpit. Access to this area is through a cargo loading door on the front left side of the fuselage or through the door in the bulkhead separating the passengers from the cargo cornpartment. The front cargo door serves as an exit for passengers in tines of emergency. For this reason, the door between the pasaenger and cargo compartments is placarded as follows: "This door should be unlocked at all times during takeoff and landing“. The door is located 12 feet 2 inches from the cockpit and is equipped with a sliding type fastener on the cargo compartment side. In order to unlock or look the door in flight,

it would be necessary for one of the flight crew members to leave his duty station.

The flight recorder aboard Flight 773 was recovered intact from the wreckage although it sustained severe crushing damage. The flight recorder

was read out using the Civil aeronautics Board flight recorder readout machine. (See Attachment I.)

A readout of the flight recorder tape indicates that the flight was normal from takeoff at 0638 until approximater 10 minutes after departure