What happened
During a classified flight traveling from Andrews AFB to March AFB, a C-47 encountered extreme icing conditions while traversing New Mexico. As the aircraft flew over the Sandia Mountain Range, situated northeast of Albuquerque, a structural failure occurred when a wing detached from the fuselage. The resulting impact caused the total destruction of the aircraft.
All nine fatalities were recorded among the occupants of the plane. Following this incident, the United States Air Force implemented a temporary grounding of all C-47 aircraft in its fleet. This suspension of operations remained in effect until the installation of new struts was completed across the fleet.
Findings
Official investigations determined that the primary factor in the accident was the failure of a wing's guy wire during flight. It is believed that this structural breakage occurred as a direct result of the aircraft operating within severe icing conditions.