Air Manila Flight 702

Air Manila Flight 702

An Air Manila Lockheed L-188 Electra, similar to the one that crashed
Accident summary
Date	4 June 1976 (1976-06-04)
Summary	engine failure, pilot error
Site	Southwest Naval Air Station Agana 13°29.5′N 144°49′E / 13.4917°N 144.817°E / 13.4917; 144.817Coordinates: 13°29.5′N 144°49′E / 13.4917°N 144.817°E / 13.4917; 144.817
Passengers	33
Crew	12
Fatalities	45 (all), plus one on the ground
Injuries (non-fatal)	2 (on the ground)
Aircraft type	Lockheed L-188A Electra
Operator	Air Manila
Registration	RP-C1061
Flight origin	Naval Air Station Agana
Destination	Ninoy Aquino International Airport

Air Manila Flight 702 was an unscheduled passenger flight from Naval Air Station Agana in Guam to Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, carrying 33 passengers and 12 crew members; most of whom were personnel from the base. The Lockheed L-188A Electra attempted takeoff from runway 6L but crashed near a residential area; the crash was caused by retracting the flaps at an altitude too low to clear the terrain after the propeller of engine number three feathered. All 45 people on board and one person on the ground perished in the crash. The investigation concluded that the pilot should have followed company policy by aborting takeoff in the event of an engine failure before reaching VR (takeoff) speed.

The aircraft involved in the accident was a Lockheed L-188A Electra with four Allison 501-D13 engines, registered RP-C1061 to Air Manila International at the time of the accident. The aircraft made its maiden flight in 1958, then registered to Eastern Airlines as N5502. The aircraft was then sold to Air Manila on November 30, 1971. Maintenance records showed the transponder listed as "inoperable." Engine number 2 had to be shut down en route to Guam due to mechanical issues; several pilots reported issues with the number 3 engine in the maintenance log before the crash.

Twelve crew members were on board flight 702 when it crashed; four members of the flight crew, the loading master, two mechanics, and four flight attendants.

The cockpit crew consisted of:

Air Manila flight 702 crashed while attempting to takeoff from runway 6L of Naval Air Station Agana at 14:47 Greenwich time on 4 June, 1976. Seconds after lifting off from the runway the number 3 propeller feathered. Witnesses reported that the plane lifted of the runway near the 7,500 marker of the 10,015 foot runway; also noting that despite the one feathered propeller the takeoff seemed normal. After the failure the plane flew at varying altitudes between 75 and 100 feet for a while, then flew level for 1,600 feet before crashing into terrain past the end of the runway; dragging across a hill, pushing through a chain link fence, and striking a car on the highway before stopping in a vacant before exploding. All 45 people on board plus the driver of the car struck by the aircraft were killed. Two people who lived near the crash site suffered severe injuries from the explosion.