Discovery
The airplane, which had departed from Six Mile Lake on Elmendorf Air Force Base and was destined for Coghill Lake, was found at the 2,500-foot level of a mountain on the north side of Burns Glacier. The aircraft's heading was 324 degrees. Normally, the heading to navigate through the pass over Burns Glacier is 104 degrees.
Video Evidence
A video tape recovered from the airplane showed that clouds in the vicinity of the glacier obscured the mountain tops. This visual evidence provides insight into the environmental conditions present at the time.
Weather Information
Weather forecasts indicated that ceilings were at 2,500 feet MSL, with broken to overcast cloud cover. The forecast conditions align with the obscured mountain tops visible in the video footage.