What happened
On a scheduled international flight traveling from Bogotá, Colombia, to New York-JFK Intl Airport, an Avianca Boeing 707-321B, registered as HK-2016, encountered severe difficulties while approaching New York. The aircraft, which had previously stopped near Medellín, was subjected to three separate holding patterns by air traffic control due to adverse weather conditions in the northeastern United States. These delays totaled approximately 1 hour and 17 minutes.
During the third holding period, the flightcrew notified controllers that the aircraft was reaching critical fuel levels and could no longer sustain holding for more than five minutes. The crew also indicated that they lacked sufficient fuel to divert to their designated alternate airport, Boston-Logan Intl. Following these communications, the crew initiated a missed approach at JFK Intl Airport. During the attempt to return to the airport, the aircraft suffered a total loss of power to all four engines, resulting in a crash in a wooded residential area in Cove Neck, Long Island. The accident resulted in 73 fatalities out of the 158 people on board.