Incident Overview
During a sortie originating from Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, the crew experienced a failure of the cabin pressurization system. The failure was caused by a crack in a window, forcing the crew to initiate an emergency descent.
Emergency Response
The pilot informed ground personnel of the situation and elected to divert to the nearest airport. However, before reaching the diversion airport, all crew members decided to abandon the aircraft. The aircraft subsequently crashed in an uninhabited area located approximately 15 miles west of Yuba City.
Damage and Casualties
The aircraft was completely destroyed upon impact. All eight crew members were rescued from the crash site, with four of them sustaining injuries.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation determined the probable cause of the incident to be a failure of the pressurization system caused by a window crack.