What happened
On February 27, Western Air Lines Flight 314 was operating a scheduled service from Salt Lake City, Utah, toward Rapid City, South Dakota. The aircraft, a Convair 340 (registration N8407H), had previously experienced a brief delay at the Salt Lake City ramp due to a broken nose wheel steering cable, which was repaired before departure. During the flight, the crew decided to bypass a scheduled stop in Casper, Wyoming, because weather conditions there had fallen below company minimums.
Following this change, Air Route Traffic Control authorized the aircraft to climb to 17,000 feet. The flight proceeded along its assigned airways, and the last radio communication with the crew occurred at 1027, when they acknowledged updated terminal weather information for Rapid City. Shortly thereafter, contact was lost. After several unsuccessful attempts by the Rapid City radio operator to provide approach clearances, the flight was declared overdue, and emergency procedures were initiated at 1106.
The wreckage was located on the afternoon of February 28 in a remote ranching region. The impact resulted in nine fatalities and no survivors. Search efforts following the crash were significantly hindered by restricted visibility and intermittent snowfall.
Findings
Investigations into the accident revealed that both engines were still producing power at the moment of impact. While the exact nature of the event remains unknown, investigators determined that a sudden emergency of undetermined origin occurred under adverse weather conditions, leading to a rapid descent and high-speed impact with the terrain. Contributing factors included heavy icing and severe turbulence present in the area. Due to the extensive disintegration of the aircraft at the crash site, it could not be confirmed whether structural failure or a control malfunction preceded the impact.