What happened
On July 20, 1961, a DC-6 operating as a Military Air Transport Service (MATSB) contract flight departed Fairfield-Travis AFB, California, destined for Anchorage, Alaska. After loading approximately 25,999 pounds of cargo, the aircraft proceeded to Anchorage, where the crew gathered weather updates and NOTAMs before continuing to Shemya AFB, Alaska, for servicing prior to a refueling stop in Japan.
During the leg from Anchorage to Shemya, the flight departed at 19:40. While flying through cloud layers at 10,000 feet, the crew established contact with Shemya Radio at 00:45. At 01:28, the pilot reported being 100 miles east of the destination, estimating an arrival time of 01:55. Following instructions from Shemya Radio, the aircraft was cleared to descend to 5,500 feet.
By 01:45, the aircraft established radar contact with Shemya GCA approximately 18 miles north-northeast of the airfield. The controller provided weather updates indicating a fog-obscured sky with a 200-foot ceiling and one-mile visibility. While the aircraft initially intercepted the glide path for runway 10 correctly, it began to deviate downward as it approached the threshold. As the plane passed over the approach lights, it entered a rapid descent.
The DC-6 struck an embankment roughly 200 feet short of the runway threshold in a nearly level attitude. The impact occurred approximately 18 feet below the crest of the embankment, with the nose wheel making contact first. As the aircraft slid up the slope, the fuselage broke into two sections at the leading edge of the wings. While the wings and tail settled on the slope, the engines and nose section, along with much of the cargo, slid approximately 100 yards toward the runway. A post-impact fire destroyed the majority of the wreckage.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that the crew had not been notified of deficiencies in the approach and runway lighting via the earlier weather briefings. Additionally, the GCA controller did not provide sufficiently precise guidance during the final stages of the descent, contributing to the aircraft's deviation from the glide path.