Operational Context and Route Changes
Pan American World Airways operated Flight 708, a scheduled cargo service connecting Frankfurt to Berlin. Under standard operations, the flight typically utilized Tempelhof Airport. However, due to runway resurfacing work at Tempelhof, Pan Am diverted its arrivals and departures to Tegel Airport beginning on the evening of November 13th.
Flight Progression and Final Approach
The aircraft departed Frankfurt at 02:04 local time and climbed to a cruising altitude of FL90. At 02:35, the flight crew reported descending from FL90 to FL30. Three minutes later, Berlin Control issued a clearance for the aircraft to turn left to a heading of zero three zero, descend, and maintain two thousand feet. As the aircraft approached within 6.5 miles of the outer marker, the controller cleared it for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway eight right, instructing a right turn to a heading of zero six zero.
Accident Sequence and Conditions
Immediately after the flight crew acknowledged the final clearance, the aircraft struck the ground. The crash site was located approximately 10 miles from the airport within the Soviet occupation zone. Meteorological conditions at the time were poor, characterized by snow with visibility limited to 2.6 kilometers. Cloud cover was reported as three-eighths at 500 feet and overcast at 600 feet, with an ambient temperature of -1 degree Celsius.
Investigation and Wreckage Recovery
Following the accident, Soviet authorities returned approximately 50 percent of the wreckage to investigators. Significant components were not recovered, including the flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder, flight control systems, and various navigation and communication equipment. This lack of critical hardware limited the scope of the technical analysis.