What happened
A flight originating from Sangley Point AFB and destined for Whidbey Island NAS was conducting a transpacific journey, with planned intermediate stops in Alaska and Japan. During the cruise phase of the mission, the aircraft collided with the mountainside of Mt Fairweather, situated roughly 123 miles northwest of Juneau.
Following the disappearance of the flight, search and rescue operations were initiated to locate the missing vessel and its occupants. These efforts continued for several days before being terminated due to a lack of any identifiable debris or signals. The fate of the 14 crew members remained unknown until 1982, when investigators located the wreckage in a remote, isolated region.
Findings
Investigations into the disappearance concluded that the accident was the result of controlled flight into terrain.