The Boeing 707 of Pan Am crashed after smoke in the cockpit prevented the crew from keeping control of the aircraft, killing all three occupants on board.

On November 3, 1973, Pan Am flight 160 departed John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for the destination of Frankfurt with a stop in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

To help get the plane under its maximum landing weight (MLW), the crew descended to 2,000 feet (610 m) to increase the fuel burn rate.

Once they were on final approach, with the airplane properly configured with flaps, the yaw damper was disengaged as a fatal result of critical mistakes during the execution of procedures.

Witnesses saw smoke pouring out of the cockpit windows, and the aircraft stalled out and crashed in a near vertical position with nose facing down.