What happened
On the scheduled route from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Hong Kong via Cold Bay and Tokyo, Flight 307 was operating with a crew of 8 and 14 passengers. At approximately 20:35 Bering standard time, the aircraft was positioned over the outbound range station at Cold Bay, performing a standard instrument approach. The flight completed a procedure turn by 20:42.
During the final stages of the approach, the aircraft type (unspecified) was seen descending through overcast conditions toward runway 14. After crossing the airfield at a low altitude, the aircraft began a shallow left turn toward the intersection of the two runways before disappearing from view to the southeast. A fire was subsequently identified, and it was confirmed that the plane had crashed. The accident resulted in 15 fatalities, consisting of 11 passengers and 4 crew members. The impact and subsequent fire caused the total destruction of the aircraft.
Findings
Investigation into the crash determined that the full retraction of the wing flaps at a low altitude during a circling approach was the primary factor in the accident. Evidence suggests that the crew did not take the required corrective measures following this configuration change. While a circling approach typically requires flaps to be extended 20 degrees, the flaps were found in a fully retracted state. This loss of lift likely prevented the aircraft from maintaining sufficient altitude during the turn, as very little altitude was gained after power was applied.