Investigation Summary
The flight was part of Pan Am's prestigious round-the-world service, having originated in San Francisco on April 10. The specific aircraft, NC88858, took over the route in Calcutta on April 13. During the journey through Damascus, Istanbul, and Brussels, the crew encountered persistent issues with the fluorescent lighting on the left side of the cockpit. In Brussels, the lights failed during a night approach, forcing the crew to land using only a small chart light focused on the direction finder. Although the lights appeared to work again upon departure, they failed once more during the approach to London. Maintenance crews in London identified the defect but were unable to repair it due to a lack of spare parts. The flight proceeded to Shannon with the known lighting deficiency. Upon arrival at Shannon, the crew initially attempted an ILS approach but declared a missed approach. During the second attempt, the aircraft was perfectly aligned with the runway but descended too low, striking a stone wall that initiated the breakup of the airframe.
Final Conclusions
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) published its final report on June 24, 1948. The Board determined that the probable cause was the continuation of an instrument approach to an altitude insufficient to clear the terrain. The failure of the pilot's fluorescent instrument light was cited as a possible contributing factor, as it may have hindered the captain's ability to monitor flight instruments during the critical final stages of the approach in low visibility.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
Falling Stars. Pan Am Flight 1-10 Crash Site At Shannon Airport — A look at the crash site and history of the 1948 Pan American Empress of the Skies accident at Shannon Airport.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
F. C. Jakel
Copilot
J. S. Shattuck
Systems & Failure Modes
Fluorescent Cockpit Lighting
The primary illumination for the pilot's flight instruments, which suffered intermittent failures due to a defect that could not be repaired in London.
Instrument Landing System (ILS)
A ground-based radio navigation system; Shannon's ILS had suffered a fire earlier that day but was reported functional at the time of the accident.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Lockheed L-049 Constellation named 'Clipper Empress of the Skies'.
- 02The lone survivor, Mark Worst, was a Lockheed maintenance manager who unfastened his seatbelt just before impact.
- 03The instrument lighting had failed on two previous approaches during the same trip (Brussels and London).
- 04The aircraft struck a stone fence while perfectly aligned with the runway centerline.
- 05The crash site was located approximately 0.7 km northeast of Shannon Airport.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Instrument Lighting Maintenance
The investigation highlighted the danger of continuing flights with known defects in critical cockpit systems, such as instrument lighting, especially when spare parts are unavailable at intermediate stations.