What happened
During a night departure, an on-demand cargo flight crashed into mountainous terrain while climbing to its cruise altitude. The flight was operating under visual flight rules (VFR) because the pilot chose to depart without an instrument clearance to avoid further delays caused by late cargo and late flight release paperwork.
Upon takeoff, the tower controller suggested a heading of 340 degrees. This specific heading directed the aircraft toward high terrain located 11 miles north of the airport. The controller did not clarify that this heading was a suggestion intended to avoid Class B airspace, a practice that was common for departing aircraft in the area.
After the aircraft transitioned to radar departure control, the controller inquired if the aircraft was flying direct to the initial route fix. The pilot responded that the aircraft would proceed direct to that fix. While a turn toward the initial fix would have moved the aircraft away from the mountains, the aircraft continued on the 340-degree heading. The controller, focused on another VFR aircraft, did not intervene. The aircraft eventually impacted the mountain.
Findings
Several contributing factors led to the accident. The pilot's decision to depart under VFR without an instrument clearance meant the aircraft was not being monitored under the same protocols as an instrument flight. Additionally, the controller's radar display did not show high terrain, and the Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) system was not active for this flight. This was because the original instrument flight plan did not include this specific approach control airspace, and the controller had not yet manually entered the flight data into the system. The controller also failed to issue a safety alert before the impact.