Accident Details
The aircraft was completing an international service from Auckland to Los Angeles with an intermediate stop in Papeete, Tahiti. After a night takeoff from Papeete-Faaa Airport runway 04, while climbing to a height of 300 feet, the pilot-in-command initiated a turn to the left according to departure procedures. The aircraft then entered a left bank, lost altitude, and crashed into the sea about 3 km offshore. Few debris were found floating on water. One passenger was evacuated while all 78 other occupants were killed. The aircraft sank to a depth of about 700 meters. Both the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) were not found.
Investigation
Due to lack of evidence, the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is considered possible that the loss of control during initial climb was the consequence of an instrument failure that may have diverted the crew's attention. As the accident occurred by night over the sea, there were no visual references available. The assumption that the pilot-in-command may have suffered spatial disorientation was not ruled out.