What happened
On the morning of September 19, 1960, a Douglas DC-6AB, registration N 907ly, crashed during its departure from Agana Naval Air Station in the Mariana Islands. Operating as Military Air Transport Flight 830/18 for World Airways, Inc., the aircraft was en route to Wake Island and the United States.
Following takeoff under night VFR conditions, the aircraft initiated a right turn while maintaining a continuous climb. During this maneuver, the plane struck Mt. Barrigada, roughly two nautical miles from the end of runway 6L, at an elevation approximately 300 feet above the airport's altitude. The impact caused the aircraft to slide through dense underbrush for nearly 1,100 feet before stopping. The accident resulted in 80 fatalities (comprising 73 passengers and seven crew members) and 14 survivors.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the primary cause of the accident was the pilot's failure to adhere to established departure procedures for runways 6L and 6R. Standard protocols required the aircraft to reach an altitude of 1,000 feet before turning eastward.
Additionally, investigators noted that while the airline's manual required carrying updated radio facility charts and flight information manuals, the crew did not follow the specific climb-and-turn instructions outlined in those documents. Environmental factors may have also played a role, as low visibility from early morning haze and the dimness of the mountain's red flashing beacon likely prevented the crew from identifying the terrain in time to avoid the collision.