What happened
A scheduled flight traveling from Los Angeles to San Francisco via several intermediate stops in California encountered a critical emergency shortly after departing Santa Maria. The flight, which included 17 passengers and three crew members, departed from runway 30. Shortly after takeoff, following an initial reduction in power, a loud explosion occurred accompanied by visible flames originating from the left engine.
The flight crew responded immediately by feathering the left propeller and shutting down the affected engine while increasing power to the right engine. At the moment of the failure, the aircraft type was flying at approximately 550 feet MSL. Although the fire appeared to be extinguished, the aircraft began experiencing intense buffeting. This instability caused a significant loss of altitude, necessitating an emergency landing roughly 1.5 miles north of the airport.
The accident resulted in one fatality among the crew and several injuries. The co-pilot died in the crash, the captain sustained serious injuries, and the remaining 17 passengers along with the purser suffered various degrees of injury.
Findings
Investigations determined that the primary reason for the loss of control was a deformed ring cowl on the left engine following its failure. This deformation created severe drag and buffeting that prevented the aircraft from maintaining sustained flight. Additionally, it was noted that the operator's scheduling of the aircraft was a contributing factor, as the engine's airworthiness should have been questioned prior to the flight.