Flight Details
Flight 318 departed Dallas, Texas, on a VFR flight plan at 1310 for Atlanta, Georgia, with a scheduled stop at Shreveport, Louisiana. The crew consisted of Captain Douglas B. yolk, First Officer James P. Stewart, and Stewardess Joanne Carlson. There were 17 passengers, including one infant. The aircraft's gross weight on departure was 24,099 pounds, within the allowable limit of 25,200 pounds, and its center of gravity was within prescribed limits.
Sequence of Events
Flight 318 proceeded normally. At 1352, the flight reported to the company station in Longview, Texas, that it was west of Gladewater, Texas. Longview provided the latest Shreveport weather, which included scattered clouds at 1,000 feet, an estimated ceiling of 4,000 feet broken clouds, overcast at 20,000 feet, visibility 10 miles, thunderstorms, and light rain showers. Remarks indicated thunderstorms to the south with occasional cloud-to-cloud lightning. The Longview operator advised the flight to stay well to the north based on observed thunderstorms east and southeast. Flight 318 acknowledged.
At 1408, near Marshall, Texas, the flight made routine radio contact with Delta's Shreveport station and received the Shreveport altimeter setting of 29.78. The flight then switched to the Shreveport Control Tower frequency. At about 1412, the tower cleared the flight for a right-hand turn for landing approach to Runway 13 and provided wind information. The flight requested and received current Shreveport weather. The tower also advised of a thunderstorm approximately 15 miles west of Shreveport. Flight 318 acknowledged.
At 1416, the tower requested a position report from Flight 318. No reply was received, and subsequent attempts to contact the flight were unsuccessful. At 1428, the tower learned that an aircraft had crashed near Marshall, Texas.
Accident and Injuries
The aircraft was destroyed. One passenger was seriously injured; 19 other occupants were killed.
Probable Cause
The Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was: the encountering of conditions in a severe thunderstorm that resulted in loss of effective control of the aircraft, and the failure of the captain to adhere to company directives requiring the avoidance of thunderstorms when conditions would allow such action.