What happened
During a maritime search operation along the California coast, a seaplane struck a mountain slope and crashed. The mission involved searching for a vessel that had been reported overdue. At the time of the accident, the crew was operating in marginal weather conditions characterized by limited visibility caused by fog.
The impact occurred in an area situated north of San Luis Obispo. The crash resulted in three fatalities among the personnel on board. Following the accident, rescue efforts were successful in locating and saving five survivors from the wreckage.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating in heavy fog with restricted visibility.
- The primary contributing factor was flying into terrain while navigating through low visibility during a search mission.