The title says it all. It's quite impressive to see this, even 45 years later.
http://youtu.be/3D9PlMdQwDc
Moderators: jsumali2, richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
Well that's a bit crazy, out of interest anyone know the frame involved, would love to know how long it's service life ended up being
Must think up a new one soon, slow moving brain trying to get into gear ;)
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- IMissPiedmont
- Posts: 6199
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
N732PA, N475EV, N615FF. She lasted many years.
The day you stop learning is the day you should die.
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting MWHCVT (Reply 1): anyone know the frame involved, |
Video comments and Googling say it was N732PA, Clipper Storm King, later renamed to Clipper Ocean Telegraph. Later went to Evergreen, Tower, and Kalitta after passenger service.
http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-b747-19638.htm
Good night, and keep watching the skis. Uh, skies.
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
Amazing..I didn't know some movie camera (pre video) was there. I was standing at the overlook watching the plane come in when it happened and the camera must have been directly below me.. Hope never to see another landing like that.
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
As a former Rentonite and operator out of Renton, I appreciate it. I wish I was around those days of aviation in PacNW.
Earthbound misfit I
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- gunsontheroof
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
Wow! I heard about this incident from my dad many years ago and read about it in Joe Sutter's book, but I didn't realize video of the incident existed. Is this the first time it's been made public? I have a hard time believing I wouldn't have seen it around these parts before if it was already floating around the net...thanks for sharing!
Picked a hell of a week to quit sniffing glue.
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- spacecadet
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
What's the story? Pilot error? Why did it hit a concrete embankment short of the runway?
I'm tired of being a wanna-be league bowler. I wanna be a league bowler!
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting spacecadet (Reply 7): What's the story? Pilot error? Why did it hit a concrete embankment short of the runway? |
The pilot, Ralph Cokely, misjudged the final height of his approach by only a few inches - shearing off one of the mains on the rock border of the runway. He had calculated the approach to the last inch, since the runway at Renton is quite short and he needed to put the plane down as soon as possible. Cokely, who had some other strikes against him, was fired after the incident, and ended up being a test pilot for Lockheed on the L-1011.
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting spacecadet (Reply 7): What's the story? |
there are probably many stories, some correct, some partially, and others. As I recall Renton is a fairly short field, and no room for overruns. Plus a plane has to come from the north, pass over (or close to) Mercer Island and the noise prudes and drop quickly to the runway. the runway has an old seaplane ramp at the north end. Apparently the pilot got a little low and came in very slowly below the runway proper, and every stopping system and technique was used short of dropping an anchor. ( I guess dragging an engine could be counted as dropping anchor)
However, two more test of the test planes subsequently landed without incident. and after refurb and repair all left.
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
In this age of instant twitter posts and the like, can you imagine the fuss if a 787 or 350 flight landed like that today? The pilot, the plane program, sheesh the entire aircraft company would be tried, sentenced and hung by the internet crowd before the plane came to a complete stop!
What is amazing is not that the 747 hit the wall, but that it held together pretty well all the way down the runway. A testament to a well built bird I think.
What is amazing is not that the 747 hit the wall, but that it held together pretty well all the way down the runway. A testament to a well built bird I think.
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- teneriffe77
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
If you want more details of the incident Joe Sutter has more details in his book about the 747 as he was on that plane when the incident occurred
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- 747megatop
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting 747megatop (Reply 12): Are we talking about the Renton municipal airport here? |
Yes, the Wiley Post Memorial Field. That was the reason I went to see the landing. I missed the B-17 landing though.
Recently some 737s have been landing there after paint in Seattle.
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
The Renton airport has been around since before WWll. Thousands of airliners have been built here including the following just for starters:
B17
C97/B377
B707/720
B757
B737
Boeing hydrofoils
Probably many others that I don't know of. Most of these aircarft takeoff only once here and go over to KBFI for delivery to the cusomer at a later date.
Very early production 737's were built over at KBFI. Also some early B29's, B52's, B47's were built at KBFI as well....I think?
B17
C97/B377
B707/720
B757
B737
Boeing hydrofoils
Probably many others that I don't know of. Most of these aircarft takeoff only once here and go over to KBFI for delivery to the cusomer at a later date.
Very early production 737's were built over at KBFI. Also some early B29's, B52's, B47's were built at KBFI as well....I think?
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
Because of that I watched the N747PA Clipper America landing again at SFO after clipping the approach lights. Another bird that was repaired and saw decades of service after what looked like a pretty serious wipeout.
http://youtu.be/tl_wXfSwRzM
http://youtu.be/tl_wXfSwRzM
AB3, DC8, DC9, DH7, D10, E90, M80, M88, 320, 321, 330, 722, 737, 733, 734, 738, 747, 744, 757, 752, 753, 772
AA, AF, B6, CO, DL, EA, EI, FI, HP, KM, LX, MS, NW, OP, PA, TW, UA, US, VS, W9, WO, YX
AA, AF, B6, CO, DL, EA, EI, FI, HP, KM, LX, MS, NW, OP, PA, TW, UA, US, VS, W9, WO, YX
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- nautilusgr
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting Cargolex (Reply 8): The pilot, Ralph Cokely, misjudged the final height of his approach by only a few inches |
KRNT has a very short runway indeed, probably marginal for the 747 but it also has displaced thresholds - not sure if this was true back then but a common threshold crossing height is about 50' anyway. This means the pilot has misjudged the final height by many,many inches
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- Ferroviarius
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting Cargolex (Reply 8): The pilot, Ralph Cokely, misjudged the final height of his approach by only a few inches - shearing off one of the mains on the rock border of the runway. He had calculated the approach to the last inch, since the runway at Renton is quite short and he needed to put the plane down as soon as possible. Cokely, who had some other strikes against him, was fired after the incident, and ended up being a test pilot for Lockheed on the L-1011. |
Thanks G_d, no person was wounded. And so, it is, to my mind, legitimate to comment:
Errare humanum est.
And, to my mind, the "pride" of a person is not so important. Since it was only damaged Aluminum: I hope and wish he had a good professional life afterwards and was able to enjoy a good glass of wine for dinner in spite of damaged pride!
And above all: To test-pilot a master piece like the L-1011 was certainly enough to re-establish lost pride!
Ferroviarius
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- bennett123
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
Was landing a B747 REALLY that marginal.
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- gunsontheroof
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting BravoOne (Reply 14): The Renton airport has been around since before WWll. Thousands of airliners have been built here including the following just for starters: B17 C97/B377 B707/720 B757 B737 Boeing hydrofoils |
Lest you forget, all 1,831 727s as well. There was a statistic I saw at some point in the last decade that counted nearly half of the world's jet airliner fleet as originating in Renton, but that percentage is surely going down.
[Edited 2014-05-13 13:17:42]
Picked a hell of a week to quit sniffing glue.
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
Lol "The engines needed some sheet metal work." Probably a bit more to it than that.
The other great thing about this video is the last frame, which contains a youtube link to hundreds of other classic airline videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mcdonnell220
[Edited 2014-05-13 14:14:19]
The other great thing about this video is the last frame, which contains a youtube link to hundreds of other classic airline videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/mcdonnell220
[Edited 2014-05-13 14:14:19]
FLYi
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting gunsontheroof (Reply 20): |
Shame on me for forgetting that one. Spent the better part of ten years flying it.
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
Found the accident report online. Makes for some interesting reading, particurlaly the recommendation to install VASI systems at all airports used by large, wide-body aircraft.
http://www.fss.aero/accident-reports/dvdfiles/US/1969-12-13-US.pdf
http://www.fss.aero/accident-reports/dvdfiles/US/1969-12-13-US.pdf
"I love mankind. It's people I can't stand." - Charles Shultz
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
Why do I picture Joe Patroni tapping her on the belly goin "Nice Job, Sweatheart!"
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
What a find!
Not only you mate
| Quoting newhaven (Reply 25): Why do I picture Joe Patroni tapping her on the belly goin "Nice Job, Sweatheart!" |
Not only you mate
DC10-10/30,MD82/88/90, 717,727,732/3/4/5/7/8/9ER,742/4,752/3,763/ER,772/E/L/3/W,788/9, 306,320,321,332/3,346,359,388
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting PITrules (Reply 21): The other great thing about this video is the last frame, which contains a youtube link to hundreds of other classic airline videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/mcdonnell220 |
This just gave me something to watch for the next month or two.
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting Ferroviarius (Reply 18): And, to my mind, the "pride" of a person is not so important. Since it was only damaged Aluminum: I hope and wish he had a good professional life afterwards and was able to enjoy a good glass of wine for dinner in spite of damaged pride! |
Looks like Ralph C Cokeley died in 1999.
http://www.ancientfaces.com/person/ralph-c-cokeley/30907717
Some info from the NTSB accident report:
Pilot-in-command Ralph Clyde Cokeley, aged 44, holds an airline
transport pilot certificate and a current first-class FAA medical
certificate with no limitations. He was type rated in the Boeing 747
and had accumulated 121 flying hours in the 747. His total flight time,
all models of aircraft, was 6,518.7 hours.
Cokeley is an aeronautical engineer and a former military pilot.
He had landed Boeing 727 and 737 type aircraft at Renton numerous times,
and had once ferried a Boeing 720B to Renton. His last landing at
Renton was made in July 1969 in a Boeing 737.
[Edited 2014-05-14 13:53:43]
This plane is built to withstand anything... except a bad pilot.
Former AMT on A220,A310,A319/20/21,A330,A350,B707,B717,B727,B737,B747,B757,B767,B777,DC-9,DC-10,L-1011,
MD-80/90,MD-11
Former AMT on A220,A310,A319/20/21,A330,A350,B707,B717,B727,B737,B747,B757,B767,B777,DC-9,DC-10,L-1011,
MD-80/90,MD-11
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- Viscount724
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RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
Can someone explain why a 747 was landing at Renton?
RE: 1969 Video Of Pan Am B747 Crash Landing At Renton
| Quoting Viscount724 (Reply 29): Can someone explain why a 747 was landing at Renton? |
Boeing needed to refurbish three of the flight test a/p. The FAL that now houses the 737 line was empty so it was a logical choice for the refurb.
Before you ask, the 737 was scheduled for Plant II and the Thompson site at the time, the 727 was winding down and had moved from the 4-21 building where the wing line was being expanded and the 707/E3-A only used one bay of the three bay building.
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