What happened
During a scheduled cargo transport from Dayton to Albuquerque, a twin engine aircraft struck the side of a hill approximately 6 miles west of West Mesa. The flight was transporting a shipment of 22 boxes containing 792 classified HE detonator units, accompanied by one pilot and two security guards from the Atomic Energy Commission.
As the aircraft was on approach to its destination, the crew encountered difficult weather conditions characterized by poor visibility and low cloud cover. The impact with the terrain led to the total destruction of the aircraft due to the force of the collision and a subsequent fire. All three fatalities occurred among the occupants of the plane. While the cargo was lost in the wreckage, the detonator units were successfully recovered from the site.
Findings
Investigations into the crash focused on the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. There was no evidence to suggest that sabotage played a role in the event, as all classified components remained accounted for following the recovery process.