The crew was completing a cargo flight from Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, to Dover AFB, Delaware, with an intermediate stop at McGuire AFB, New Jersey, on behalf of the US Air Force. On final approach, the crew encountered low visibility due to fog. While transiting from IFR to VFR on short final, the airplane went out of control, struck the ground and crashed 5,470 feet short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed.
Probable cause (official findings): Improper IFR operation on part of the pilot-in-command who suffered a spatial disorientation on final approach. The following factors were reported: - Low ceiling, - Fog, - Instruments-misread or failed to read, - Company dispatch, - Weather slightly worse than forecast, - The crew was disoriented by lite glare, - Fog during transition from IFR to VFR.