Page:CAB Accident Report, Pan American Flight 203.pdf/7

- 6 - was indicated by the colored lights. He decided to land in this direction because he had concluded from the absence of any significant drift of the smoke which was rising from numerous fires around the harbor's edge that the wind was negligible. Captain Lorber stated that he could see the green light at the far end of the string of landing lights. Captain Lorber stated that he made his approach in the normal gliding attitude, at the usual speed and rate of descent. He ordered the flight mechanic to put the carburetor mixture controls in the full rich position and this was done. First Officer Breaux stated that during the final approach the air speed was about 80 knots (approximately 92 m. p. h. ). At an altitude of about 400 feet, the flaps were extended fully. When the aircraft had about 200 feet of altitude the propellers were put in low pitch. The aircraft's landing lights were then turned on. The aircraft passed the red anchored landing light at an altitude estimated by the captain as 10 feet. According to Captain Lorber, a brilliant moon, which was almost directly overhead, tended to reduce the usefulness of the aircraft's landing lights because it made them reveal the water surface less clearly. About 20 or 30 percent of the 2000-foot landing strip, marked by lights, had been passed when the aircraft first made contact with the water at an air speed of about 82 m.p.h. This was at approximately 5.48 p. m. (EST). The captain immediately closed the throttles. The boat continued planing ahead for a short but undetermined period of time, possibly two or three seconds, when the captain observed that it was turning to the right. He applied rudder control to the left and then, noticing that this did not have the desired corrective effect, applied power to both of the right engines. This application of power also failed to arrest the turning and the aircraft continued to swerve as the nose dug increasingly into the water. Cabin occupants were thrown violently forward and sidewise to the left against their safety belts. The swerve to the right became violent and the left wing float struck the water. About this time the aircraft's hull broke completely into two sections at a point approximately over the main step of the hull. The location of this break was through that section of the hull where the forward passenger compartment, "D", joins the cargo compartment. The two sections of the hull filled rapidly with water and sank to a depth of about 15 feet where they grounded.

Three small children, aged one, two, and three years, had been occupying compartment D with their mother. At the time of the accident the largest child was sitting beside his mother, with his safety belt fastened. The mother was holding one of the smaller children, while the flight steward was sitting on the opposite seat holding the other child. On first contact with the water, both children who were being held were thrown violently from the arms of the mother and the steward. Almost immediately after the hull of the airplane broke in two at Compartment D, all of the passengers in the aircraft were thrown around violently in complete darkness. Both the adults who were in Compartment D were almost completely submerged and were unable to find the two children whom they had been holding. The bodies of these children were subsequently recovered.

Captain Lorber and other crew members made every effort to direct the rescue of all passengers. The crew on the Pan American landing launch and other persons in the vicinity immediately rendered aid and all the occupants of the aircraft except the two small children referred to above were taken ashore. Hospitalization was provided for those requiring it.

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