This is a list of accidents and incidents involving American airline Pan Am. The airline suffered a total of 95 incidents.
Fatal accidents
1920s
August 15, 1928
Fokker C-2 NC55 General Machado ditched in the Gulf of Mexico off Egmont Key, Florida after all three engines stopped due to fuel exhaustion, killing one person. The pilot had become disorientated in poor visibility.
June 13, 1929
Fokker F-10 NC9700 Christopher Columbus struck telephone lines and crashed on takeoff from Santiago Airport, killing two of five on board. The runway was waterlogged and the aircraft failed to gain sufficient altitude.
1930s
December 20, 1935
Sikorsky S-42 NC824M Puerto Rican Clipper lost control and crashed on landing at Port of Spain and sank, killing three of 25 on board.
April 11, 1936
Sikorsky S-42 NC15374 Antilles Clipper crashed on takeoff from Port of Spain, killing three of 22 on board. On liftoff the pilot noticed a fishing boat in the aircraft's path and performed a sharp turn, but a pontoon struck the boat and the aircraft crashed. The crew noticed the boat too late and the evasive maneuver was also too late. Despite the crash, the aircraft was repaired and returned to service but was ultimately scrapped in 1946.
January 11, 1938
Sikorsky S-42 NC16734 Samoan Clipper exploded in mid-air over Pago Pago while dumping fuel, killing all seven on board, including pilot Ed Musick. An hour after takeoff the aircraft developed an oil leak and the crew decided to return to Pago Pago. Fully loaded with fuel, the aircraft was too heavy to land in the small harbor and the crew began dumping fuel, but during this process the fuel ignited and the aircraft exploded. Fuel vapors probably became trapped in a wing flap when it was extended.
July 28, 1938
Flight 229, operated by Martin M-130 NC14714 Hawaii Clipper, disappeared between Guam and Manila with 15 on board.
August 13, 1939
Sikorsky S-43 NC16933 crashed in Guanabara Bay due to loss of control following engine failure, killing 14 of 16 on board.
1940s
October 3, 1941
Flight 203, operated by Sikorsky S-42 NC15376 Dominican Clipper, crashed on landing in San Juan harbor, Puerto Rico due to pilot error, killing two of 27 on board.
December 11, 1941
Sikorsky S-38B NC21V crashed in Biscayne Bay off Miami during a training flight for reasons unknown, killing the three crew.
January 21, 1943
Flight 1104, a Martin M-130 named Philippine Clipper, struck a mountain near Ukiah, California due to pilot error, killing all 19 on board including U.S Navy Rear Admiral Robert H. English.
February 22, 1943
Flight 9035, operated by Boeing 314A Clipper NC16803 Yankee Clipper, crashed in the River Tagus while preparing to land at Lisbon after the left wing struck the water's surface, killing 24 of 39 on board, including American actress Tamara Drasin and American novelist Ben Robertson. The aircraft was operating a USO flight.
June 20, 1943
Douglas C-49K 43-2009 crashed in Biscayne Bay, killing two.
September 24, 1943
Consolidated Commodore NC668M crashed at Miami, Florida during a test flight, killing one of three on board.
April 6, 1944
Pilgrim 100B NC742N crashed 10 miles east of Nome, Alaska due to pilot error, killing all six on board.
August 8, 1944
Flight 218, operated by Sikorsky S-42 (NC823M) Hong Kong Clipper, lost control and crashed on takeoff from Antilla Airport, Cuba, killing 17 of 31 on board.
January 8, 1945
Flight 161, operated by Martin M-130 (NC14716) China Clipper, crashed short of its landing site at Port of Spain due to pilot error, killing 23 of 30 on board.
August 3, 1945
Flight 216, operated by Sikorsky S-43 NC15066, crashed on landing at Fort de France Hydrobase, Martinique, killing four of 14 on board. The water surface was too rough for landing.
June 19, 1947
Flight 121, operated by Lockheed L-049 Constellation Clipper Eclipse (formerly Clipper Dublin), crashed in the Syrian desert near Mayadin following failure of one engine and fire and separation of another, killing 15 of 36 on board; Gene Roddenberry, creator of the original Star Trek, was among the survivors.
October 26, 1947
Flight 923, operated by Douglas DC-4 Clipper Talisman II struck Tamgas Mountain on Annette Island, Alaska, for reasons unknown, killing all 18 on board.
April 15, 1948
Flight 1-10, operated by Lockheed L-049 Constellation Clipper Empress of the Skies, crashed short of the runway at Shannon Airport due to a mechanical and/or electrical failure, killing 30 of 31 on board