4 fatalities

1970-07-27: Flying Tiger Line Flight 45 — United States occupation of the Ryukyu Islands

United States occupation of the Ryukyu Islands

On July 27, 1970, a Flying Tiger Line Flight 45 was involved in an aviation accident near United States occupation of the Ryukyu Islands. 4 people were killed. The investigation identified controlled flight into terrain as a causal factor. This summary draws on records from Wikidata contributors; 4 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesWikidata contributorsPrimary reportUpdated 1780111919Data APIEditorial standards

On July 27, 1970, Flying Tiger Line Flight 45, a Douglas DC-8-63F, crashed on final approach during its fourth stopover at Naha Airport, Okinawa.

Incident

Flying Tiger Line Flight 45 was a scheduled cargo flight operating from Los Angeles to Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam. The flight had intermediate stops planned at San Francisco, Seattle, Cold Bay, Tokyo, Naha, Hong Kong, and Cam Ranh. On July 27, 1970, while attempting to make its fourth stopover at Naha Airport in Okinawa—then under United States administration—the aircraft crashed on final approach.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Douglas DC-8-63F, a freighter variant of the DC-8 series.

Aftermath

The accident occurred during the landing phase at Naha Airport. No further details about occupants, injuries, or damage were specified in the source.

Contributing factors

controlled flight into terrain