1972 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash

1972 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash

A DC-7CF similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
Date	31 December 1972 (1972-12-31)
Summary	Double engine failure on take-off
Site	Pinones, near Isla Verde 18°27′45″N 65°57′30″W / 18.46250°N 65.95833°W / 18.46250; -65.95833Coordinates: 18°27′45″N 65°57′30″W / 18.46250°N 65.95833°W / 18.46250; -65.95833
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-7CF
Operator	American Express Leasing
Registration	N500AE
Flight origin	San Juan-Isla Verde International Airport (SJU/TJSJ), Puerto Rico
Destination	Managua Airport (MGA/MNMG), Nicaragua
Passengers	2
Crew	3
Fatalities	5 (all)
Survivors	0

The 1972 Puerto Rico DC-7 Crash was an aviation accident that occurred on December 31, 1972, in Carolina, Puerto Rico.^[1] It is most notable for causing the death of Pittsburgh Pirates star Roberto Clemente.

Background

Roberto Clemente was a baseball star for the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning two World Series championships with them, and becoming only the 11th player in Major League Baseball history to collect 3,000 hits on September 30, 1972, in his final at-bat. In October 1972, he went to Managua, Nicaragua to coach the Puerto Rico national baseball team during that year's Baseball World Cup.^[2]

Only two months after Clemente's visit, on December 23, an earthquake struck Managua,^[3] causing the deaths of 5,000 persons and devastation to Nicaragua's capital. Many countries sent help and this made Clemente desire to send help, paid for with his own money, and to personally supervise the delivery of goods. Clemente had been convinced to involve himself in the relief efforts by local television show host, reporter and celebrity Luis Vigoreaux.^[4]

Accident

The accident caused the deaths of all five people on board,^[5] including Clemente. The airplane crashed immediately after take-off from Isla Verde International Airport, falling into the beach at the adjacent area known as Pinones.

Clemente leased the aircraft from a local airline, American Express Leasing^[6] (also named "American Air Express" by some sources),^[7] owned by a Puerto Rican named Arthur J. Rivera. Unknown to Clemente, the aircraft, a DC-7, had suffered a non-fatal accident just 29 days before the fateful flight took place.

On December 31, bad weather hit the area near Isla Verde International Airport. Despite this and warnings by his father, his wife Vera and son Roberto, Jr. that they had bad feelings and premonitions about the flight, Clemente insisted on going on with the relief mission and taking off on that day. Clemente himself is reported to have had a dream about overlooking his own funeral days before.^[8]

After spending most of the afternoon loading the aircraft, the flight's crew, including pilot Jerry Hill, Rivera (who was to act as co-pilot during the flight), Francisco Matias and Rafael Delgado Cintron, boarded the plane. They had loaded the airplane, registration number N500AE,^[5] with 148,943 pounds of freight, about 4,200 pounds over the plane's gross take-off weight limit. Clemente boarded around the same time as the aircraft's crew.

At 9:11 P.M. local standard time, the plane taxied around the airport's runway 7. By then the weather had cleared and visibility was at 10 miles and only a few clouds were visible. After engine run-up by the crew, the flight was cleared for takeoff at 9:20:30 P.M. On takeoff, the aircraft took an exceptionally long takeoff roll and gained very little altitude. A left turn was commenced towards the North, after which, at 9:23:15 P.M., the San Juan Tower received the following transmission: "N500AE coming back around." Minutes later, the plane experienced catastrophic failure of engines number 2 and 3, the two closest to its fuselage, right after becoming airborne. The airplane then crashed into the Atlantic Ocean at a point approximately 1.5 miles off shore, and 2.5 miles on the 040 degree radial from the western end of Runway 25.^[9]

Recovery

Recovery efforts started almost immediately after the aircraft went down. By 11 PM, radio and television stations across Puerto Rico were informing the public about the accident. A crowd formed around Pinones beach, many of them trying to help search efforts. Of the five people on board, only Hill's body was recovered.^[10]

The wreckage site was not discovered until January 4, 1973 due to extremely rough surface conditions and poor underwater visibility.

On or after January 7th, divers from a United States Navy ship reported that the aircraft wreckage was scattered throughout the bottom of the ocean at a depth of 100 to 130 feet, in an area of approximately 4 acres. The aircraft was broken into several sections, most of them badly crushed or demolished. Both wings were separated from the fuselage. The cockpit area forward of the main junction box was destroyed and the instrument panel and mechanical controls missing. The nose gear assembly was retracted. All four engines were accounted for, but none of them were found attached to the wing structure. Two of the engines were together at a distance of approximately 200 feet from the right wing, which itself was upside down on the left side of a fuselage section.

Three of the engines were in fact recovered from the ocean floor on January 11, 1973. Among the engines recovered were Nos. 2 and 3. The propeller of the No. 2 engine was feathered, indicating that there had been engine failure at some point before the crash. The magnetic sump plug of No. 3 engine had pieces of broken cylinder rings, however, the rings were found intact in the cylinders of this engine.^[9]

Part of the fuselage and the tail of the airplane were also found.

Aircraft

The accident aircraft was a Douglas DC-7CF, a freighter conversion of the DC-7 (cn/msn 45130/823), registered in the United States as N500AE. The aircraft first flew in 1957.^[6]

Causes

The cause of the crash could not be determined precisely due to difficulties recovering the wreckage. Probable causes were attributed to poor maintenance, excessive wear in engine components, damage from a previous taxiing accident that was not repaired, uncertified crew members, the aircraft being overloaded, and inadequate crew preparation.^[6]

References