What happened
During a local night training operation conducted by the 816th Air Division at Altus Air Force Base, an aircraft was performing several circuits. While the crew was initiating a new GCA approach, the pilot-in-command requested a climb to altitude to allow for another jet penetration. During the overshoot maneuver, the aircraft encountered significant difficulties with its stabilizer trim.
This malfunction caused the plane to lose altitude, leading to a crash approximately 4 miles north of the airfield. Of the nine people on board, one crew member successfully bailed out and was subsequently rescued. However, the accident resulted in eight fatalities.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified that problems with the stabilizer trim during the overshoot maneuver were the primary factor leading to the loss of altitude and the subsequent impact.