What happened
On February 3, 1963, at approximately 12:07 P.S.T., a Lockheed 1049H registered as N9740Z, operated by Slick Airways, crashed while performing an ILS approach to runway 28R at San Francisco International Airport. During the descent, the aircraft's glide slope receiver was non-functional, forcing the crew to rely on radar advisories received via the localizer receiver to maintain altitude information.
The aircraft made contact with the approach lights at a distance of 1,170 feet from the runway threshold. Following this impact, the plane climbed to an altitude of roughly 200 feet before descending again and crashing approximately 1,900 feet past the threshold on the left side of runway 28L. A fire broke out upon impact, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft.
The accident resulted in four fatalities, including the captain, the first officer, and two passengers. The remaining five passengers sustained serious injuries during the event.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the primary reason for the accident was the decision to continue an instrument approach after visual references had been lost below the required minimums. Additionally, it was noted that the PAR controller failed to provide adequate monitoring of the instrument approach.