What happened
On a search and rescue mission, a crew departed from Andersen Air Force Base to locate a USN Consolidated PB4Y-2S Privateer that had gone missing three days prior. The previous aircraft had disappeared while performing meteorological duties during the passage of typhoon Doris.
During the operation, the R4D-8 struck the side of a volcano situated in the middle of Agrihan Island. The impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate immediately. There were no survivors, as all 10 crew members perished in the accident. Debris from the crash was not located until December 26, six days after the incident occurred.
Findings
The investigation into the crash identified that the aircraft was operating at an inadequate altitude during the flight. Additionally, the flight crew was unable to identify the volcanic terrain in time to avoid the collision. The primary factor in the accident was controlled flight into terrain.