Accident Summary
A special flight traveling from Fort Ord AFB in Monterey, California, to McChord AFB in Washington state, ended in a crash on a mountain slope. The aircraft was carrying 19 military passengers and two pilots. En route, the crew cancelled the instrument flight plan and continued under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite poor weather conditions. The aircraft struck a mountain slope at an altitude of 2,600 feet, which was covered in fog at the time of impact. The collision resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft, and a fire broke out after the crash. All 21 occupants were killed.
Investigation
The official investigation into the accident examined the circumstances leading up to the crash. It was determined that all ground radio facilities along the route were functioning normally. The flight had been proceeding under visual flight rules after the cancellation of the instrument flight plan. The crash occurred during daylight hours on a hillside obscured by fog, at an elevation of approximately 2,600 feet above mean sea level. The crash site was located on the airway, and the direction of impact was close to the on-course heading of the flight.
Probable Cause
The Board finds that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s attempt to continue flight under the provisions of Visual Flight Rules during instrument conditions.