Accident Overview
A twin-engine airplane departed Las Vegas Airport on a charter flight to the Grand Canyon, carrying nine passengers. En route, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions and decided to turn back, but lost control of the aircraft. The airplane dove into the ground and crashed approximately 39 miles north of Peach Springs, Arizona. The wreckage was located a day later on the Shivwits Plateau near Parashant Canyon. The aircraft disintegrated upon impact, and all 10 occupants were killed.
Victims
The crew member was identified as pilot Wayne Leeth. The passengers included James Allen Jr., Florence Allen, Mr. and Mrs. R. Lynch, Mr. and Mrs. P. Dosmond from France, and Paul and Renate Haack and Walter Pilgram from West Germany.
Investigation
The probable cause of the accident was determined to be the pilot continuing visual flight rules (VFR) flight into adverse weather conditions. Contributing factors reported included low ceiling, rain, and snow.