Incident
A training flight conducted by the 28th Squadron, based in Oxnard, ended in a crash about 7 miles southwest of Newhall. The aircraft struck trees and was destroyed. Three crew members sustained fatal injuries; the other three crew members evacuated the wreckage and traveled on foot, reaching help at 0630 local time the following day.
Sequence of Events
The crew had been performing touch-and-go maneuvers at Palmdale Airport before continuing to George Airbase in Victorville. On the return leg to Oxnard, the captain contacted air traffic control and obtained permission to divert to Ventura Airport for instrument approaches. The aircraft was being flown under visual flight rules (VFR) at night. During the descent, the captain was notified of two successive cloud layers at 5,000 feet and 3,000 feet and was instructed to report when over the last marker. Approximately five minutes later, the aircraft collided with trees and crashed.
Probable Cause
The official investigation concluded that the exact cause of the accident remains undetermined. It is believed the pilot-in-command was descending at an altitude too low, possibly to maintain visual contact with the ground.