What happened
During an approach to Dallas-Love Field Airport, the aircraft suffered a structural failure when the left wing detached from the fuselage. This loss of integrity caused the pilot to lose control of the plane, which subsequently entered a steep dive. The aircraft impacted an elementary school located in Bradfield.
The crash resulted in the deaths of all seven occupants on board the aircraft. While the impact caused significant damage to several vehicles and partially destroyed the school building, there were no injuries reported among people on the ground. The flight was being operated for LTV Electrosystems (Ling-Temco-Vought).
Findings
Investigations into the accident determined that the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent following a structural failure of the left wing. This failure was attributed to a fatigue fracture. Specifically, investigators identified two overlapping rivet holes located on the aft leg of the spar cap, which compromised the strength of the wing structure.