1960 World Airways Flight 830/18 Crash on Mt. Barrigada (N90779)

Accident Overview and Casualties On September 19, 1960, at approximately 0602 local time, a Douglas DC-6AB with registration N 90779, operated by World Airways, Inc. as Military Air Transport Flight 830/18, crashed and burned on Mt. Barrigada. The aircraft was bound for Wake Island and the United States. The crash occurred approximately two nautical miles from the departure end of runway 6L at Agana Naval Air Station, Guam, Mariana Islands. Of the 94 occupants on board, seven crew members and 73 passengers were killed, while one crew member and 13 passengers survived. ## Flight Sequence and Impact The flight received FAA Air Route Traffic Control route and departure clearances and took off into night VFR weather conditions. After takeoff, the aircraft made a right turn and maintained a continuous climb over the distance flown. It struck Mt. Barrigada at a point approximately 300 feet above the elevation of the airport. The aircraft then slid into thick underbrush, cutting a swath for nearly 1,100 feet before coming to rest. Damage and injuries were more attributable to fire than to impact forces. ## Probable Cause and Contributing Factors The Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the pilot to comply with published departure procedures applicable to runways 6 left and 6 right. World Airways' operations manual required that radio facility charts, current flight information manuals, and other documents indicating the correct departure procedure for runway 06L be carried in the airplane. These documents advised pilots taking off in this direction to climb to an altitude of 1,000 feet before turning to the east. The Board noted it was difficult to understand why this procedure was not followed. Additionally, the low intensity of the single red flashing beacon on the summit of the mountain, combined with the likelihood of early morning mountain haze, made it questionable whether the beacon would have been visible to the crew in time to allow evasive action.