Douglas C-54 Skymaster accident at Cape Saint George, Canada, 12 Nov 1944 (42-107427)
On November 12, 1944, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster (registration 42-107427) operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Cape Saint George, Canada during landing or approach. 12 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: It appears the pilot checked the weather often before and throughout the flight, but the aircraft was still blown off-course by high velocity winds. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Probable cause
It appears the pilot checked the weather often before and throughout the flight, but the aircraft was still blown off-course by high velocity winds. The pilot also failed to make proper use of normally functioning radio navigational aids to check the position of the aircraft prior to and during descent. The aircraft collided with the side of a hill at what is locally known as Garden Hill on the Port-au-Port peninsula.
— NTSB Determination
Accident narrative
All along the route do Stephenville, the weather conditions were considered as good. While approaching the destination, the winds went stronger. Some ten minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time, by night, the four engine aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located near Cape Saint George, west of Stephenville. Nine occupants were killed while nine others were seriously injured. Few days later, three of them died from their injuries. Source & photos: http://planecrashgirl.ca/
Probable cause (official findings): It appears the pilot checked the weather often before and throughout the flight, but the aircraft was still blown off-course by high velocity winds. The pilot also failed to make proper use of normally functioning radio navigational aids to check the position of the aircraft prior to and during descent. The aircraft collided with the side of a hill at what is locally known as Garden Hill on the Port-au-Port peninsula.