Flight History
Flight 16, operated by an airline, departed Kansas City, Missouri, at 0724 local time, bound for Omaha, Nebraska; Sioux City, Iowa; and other intermediate stops, with a final destination of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The cockpit crew consisted of Captain James H. Graham, First Officer Philip K. Toler, and trainee copilot Ernest F. Eilert, who was riding as a fourth crew member. Stewardess Marilyn Woodbury was also aboard. The aircraft carried 21 passengers, cargo, and fuel, resulting in a takeoff gross weight of 25,100 pounds, within the certificated limit of 25,200 pounds. The load was properly distributed relative to the center of gravity. Weather along the intended route was instrument conditions with an overcast ceiling lowering from 4,200 feet at Kansas City to about 1,000 feet at Omaha.
Omaha Incident
The flight proceeded to Omaha at 4,000 feet under an instrument flight plan without difficulty. A normal landing was made on Runway 11, about 1,000 feet from the approach end. Near the completion of the landing roll, the aircraft ran off the right side of the runway, passing over a high-intensity runway light. Captain Graham reported this to ground crew. Both the aircraft and the light were inspected, and no damage was found. The aircraft was then prepared for departure to Sioux City.
Sioux City Approach
At 0841, the flight took off from Omaha for Sioux City under an instrument flight plan, with Omaha as the alternate. The takeoff weight was 24,630 pounds, including 21 passengers, 920 pounds of cargo, and 1,500 pounds of fuel. The takeoff and en route portion were uneventful, with the flight proceeding at 3,000 feet. At 0904, Flight 16 reported over the Sloan Fan Marker, 11.9 miles south-southeast of the approach end of Runway 35 at Sioux City Airport. The tower immediately cleared the flight for a straight-in approach and landing on Runway 35. Weather information provided to the flight included precipitation, ceiling 500 feet with obscured sky, visibility one mile in light snow showers, and wind from the east at 14 miles per hour. Medium-intensity lights for Runway 17/35 were turned on to full brilliance. The flight then requested and received clearance to land on Runway 13, oriented southeast. At 0909, the flight reported it was contact over the southeast corner of the field and was cleared to land. A ground witness saw the aircraft one mile southeast of the airport. Shortly after, it was sighted approximately over the intersection of Runways 4/22 and 17/35 on an east-southeast heading. The aircraft then made a left climbing turn to the north. The tower advised the pilot that he was cleared to land on either Runway 17 or Runway 13, and that there would be a 90-degree crosswind if landing on Runway 17. All transmissions were acknowledged.
Accident
The aircraft was not further observed and crashed about 600 feet north and west of the approach end of Runway 17. Fire developed immediately. Three crew members (including the captain, first officer, and stewardess) and 13 passengers were killed. Nine other occupants were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed by fire.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause of this accident was a stall during a left turn too close to the ground to effect recovery.