What happened
During the takeoff phase of flight from Hall Lake, a four-engine aircraft encountered a snow bank on the runway. The impact with the obstacle caused the airframe to break into two separate sections. Following the collision, the aircraft came to a complete stop at the site of the incident.
Despite the significant structural failure and the fact that the aircraft was broken in two, there were no injuries reported among the three crew members on board. The wreckage was deemed beyond economical repair and was subsequently abandoned at the location of the accident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the structural breakup was the impact with a snow bank during the takeoff roll.