A Boeing 727 carrying Pan Am Flight 708 crashes near Berlin, Germany, killing all three people on board.
Pan Am Flight 708 (PA 708) was a cargo flight that crashed on initial approach less than 10 mi (16 km) west-southwest of its destination airport, Berlin Tegel in Germany, in the early morning hours of November 15, 1966. The flight was operated by a Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) Boeing 727-21, registration N317PA, name Clipper Mnchen, routing from Frankfurt Airport. All three crew members perished. The cause was undetermined because US investigators were not allowed to survey the impact site near Dallgow in what was then East Germany, and only half of the aircraft remains were returned by Soviet military authorities in East Germany to their US counterparts in former West Berlin.
The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airports.
On December 5, 1960, the 727 was launched with 40 orders each from United Airlines and Eastern Air Lines.
The first 727-100 rolled out November 27, 1962, first flew on February 9, 1963, and entered service with Eastern on February 1, 1964.
The only trijet aircraft to be produced by Boeing, the 727 is powered by Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofans below a T-tail, one on each side of the rear fuselage and a center one fed through an S-duct.
It shares its six-abreast upper fuselage cross-section and cockpit with the 707.
The 133 ft (40.5 m) long 727-100 typically carries 106 passengers in two classes over 2,250 nmi (4,170 km), or 129 in a single class.
Launched in 1965, the stretched 727-200 flew in July 1967 and entered service with Northeast Airlines that December.
The 20 ft (6.1 m) longer variant typically carries 134 passengers in two classes over 2,550 nmi (4,720 km), or 155 in a single class.
Besides the airliner accommodation, a freighter and a Quick Change convertible version were offered.
The 727 was used for many domestic flights and on some international flights within its range.
Airport noise regulations have led to hush kit installations.
Its last commercial passenger flight was in January 2019.
It was succeeded by the 757-200 and larger variants of the 737.
As of February 2022, a total of 38 Boeing 727s were in commercial service.
There have been 118 fatal incidents involving the Boeing 727.
Production ended in September 1984 with 1,832 having been built.