No Sign Of Life At Crashed Airliner

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31862, 14 December 1968, Page 13

No Sign Of Life At Crashed Airliner

C.V.Z. Press Association-Copyright) CARACAS (Venezuela), December 13.

A Pan American Airways jet with 51 persons aboard crashed last night in the Caribbean a few miles off the coast of Venezuela. Pan-Am officials at Kennedy Airport in New York confirmed that the plane had crashed and wreckage had been sighted at sea about 10 miles off-shore from Venezuela.

The Navy sent a tug boat, three launches and several other vessels to the area.

The Associated Press reported that a Pan-American spokesman said there were 42 passengers and nine crew in the plane. , The Caracas airport control tower and the port authority at the coastal city of La Guayra reported “there are no signs of life” round the wreckage. The Associated Press said a tower spokesman reported that one of the searching helicopters had sighted at least two yellow liferafts with no occupants. Waiting at the airport were many relatives and friends of those aboard the ill-fated plane. The flight, a Boeing 707 jet from New York City, was going to Caracas Maiquetia International Airport. Control tower staff at the

airport said they lost radio I contact with the aircraft i when it was at an altitude i of 1000 ft and 16 miles from the airport. ! They said the plane was on < its final approach to the 1

Caracas airport. There were no radio messages that it was in trouble. The plane was on a nonstop flight from New York to Caracas and was about half full.