What happened
A multi-aircraft accident occurred during night operations under clear weather conditions with visibility exceeding 15 miles. The incident involved a Convair C-118 that had departed from Long Beach Airport for McGuire AFB, New Jersey, carrying 35 passengers and six crew members. While the aircraft was climbing through 3,000 feet after being cleared to 17,000 feet, it collided with a USN Lockheed P2V-5F Neptune, registration 127723. The Neptune was conducting a local training mission after departing from Los Alamitos NAS and was carrying eight crew members.
Following the impact, both aircraft lost control and descended into residential areas. The C-118 struck several buildings and a service station in Norwalk, resulting in 41 fatalities among the occupants of the aircraft and the death of one woman on the ground. The Neptune crashed into a stone pit approximately 2.5 miles north of the first crash site. The collision resulted in 6 fatalities and two serious injuries among the Neptune's crew.
Findings
Investigators determined that the mid-air collision took place within an uncontrolled airspace. Both flight crews were found to be equally responsible for the accident due to a failure to maintain adequate lookout for other aircraft. Specifically, the crew of the C-118 failed to yield priority to the Neptune, which was positioned on their right side.