What happened
On an early morning cargo mission for the USAF, a four-engine aircraft departed from Ogden-Hill AFB at 0445LT, destined for Nellis AFB. The flight was transporting 27,552 lbs of cargo with a crew of three onboard. During the climb between 12,000 and 13,000 feet, the crew notified Salt Lake departure control that the aircraft had experienced a complete loss of electrical power. In response to this emergency, the flight requested vectors for visual flight conditions and permission to descend to a lower altitude.
As the aircraft descended, it reached excessive speeds and a high rate of descent, resulting in the plane breaking apart in mid-air. The accident resulted in three fatalities and the total destruction of the aircraft. Debris from the wreckage was spread across a 1.5-mile stretch at an abandoned airfield located approximately 4 nautical miles south of Salt Lake City International Airport.
Findings
Investigations concluded that a progressive failure within the electrical system caused critical flight instruments and lighting to malfunction or cease operating while the crew was flying in night instrument meteorological conditions. This loss of instrumentation prevented the crew from maintaining a proper attitude reference, leading to spatial disorientation and a loss of control. The subsequent attempts by the crew to recover the aircraft resulted in aerodynamic loads that surpassed the structural design limits of the airframe, causing the in-flight disintegration.