page_title: Rafael Antonio Curra
section_title: Death
hierarchical_section_title: Rafael Antonio Curra / Death
caption_attribution_description: Español: Placa conmemorativa
context_page_description: Rafael Antonio Curra was a Venezuelan ichthyologist and university professor. He is considered one of the pioneers of oceanographic studies in his native country.
  He was an accomplished academic, administrator and scientist.
context_section_description: On the night of Thursday, December 12, 1968, Pan Am Flight 217 covering the route between New York City and Caracas plunged into the Caribbean Sea at 10:02 at night during its final approach to the Maiquetía International Airport, causing the death of all its occupants. The Boeing 707-321B with registration N494-PA and named "Clipper Malay" was carrying 42 passengers and 9 crew members.
  The cause of the crash was believed to be pilot error, as a result of an optical illusion created by the lights of the city on an upslope. This caused the plane to crash into the sea and explode on impact, killing all on board.
  Rafael Antonio Curra was returning to his country after establishing academic exchange agreements with authorities of the University of Rhode Island on behalf of Universidad de Oriente.
  On December 12, 2018, family and friends of the victims of the Pan Am Flight 217 gathered at 301 West 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, and deposited 51 flowers onto the waters of the Hudson River in memory of the victims. A commemorative plaque with the names of all passengers and crew members was handed over to the administration of the John F. Kennedy International Airport, former Pan American Airlines base and where the ill-fated flight originated.
caption: Commemorative plaque for the 50th anniversary of the Pan Am Flight 217 tragedy.
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