121 fatalities

1965-05-20: Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 — Egypt

Egypt

On May 20, 1965, a Pakistan International Airlines Flight 705 was involved in an aviation accident near Egypt. 121 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft failed to maintain the necessary altitude during the landing circuit and continued to descend until impact. This summary draws on records from Wikidata contributors; 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesWikidata contributorsPrimary reportUpdated 1780111919Data APIEditorial standards

A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 720 crashed during its approach to Cairo International Airport on 20 May 1965, resulting in 121 fatalities.

What happened

On 20 May 1965, Pakistan International Airlines flight 705 was conducting its first scheduled service from Karachi, Pakistan, to London, United Kingdom, with planned stops in Dhahran and Cairo. The Boeing 720-040B, registered as AP-AMH, was carrying 114 passengers and a crew of 13. As the aircraft was performing its final approach to Cairo International Airport, the pilot notified air traffic control of issues regarding the aircraft's flaps. Shortly after this report, the plane struck the ground southeast of the airport, where it disintegrated and burst into flames. The accident resulted in 121 fatalities and 6 survivors, who were thrown from the wreckage.

Investigation

During the post-crash investigation, local authorities discovered a transistor radio within the debris that contained jewelry worth approximately $120,000. Regarding the flight path, investigators determined that the aircraft failed to stay at the required altitude for the landing circuit, instead continuing a descent until it struck the terrain.

Probable cause

The aircraft failed to maintain the necessary altitude during the landing circuit and continued to descend until impact.

Contributing factors

controlled flight into terrain

Investigation report by Wikidata contributors. Original record: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4217221. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the CC0 (Wikidata).