What happened
During a scheduled supply mission conducted for the 110th Squadron, an aircraft was operating at an altitude of approximately 500 feet. After successfully releasing its cargo payload, the aircraft encountered a mountain directly in its flight path. In an attempt to avoid the terrain, the pilot executed a sudden left-hand turn. This maneuver resulted in an aerodynamic stall, leading to a fatal impact with the ground.
The wreckage of the aircraft was located several days after the incident. There were no survivors, as the crash resulted in nine fatalities among the crew members on board.
Findings
Official investigations into the accident concluded that the crew failed to accurately estimate their distance from the terrain. This miscalculation necessitated an aggressive evasive maneuver to prevent a collision with the mountain. The investigation further determined that the aircraft's airspeed was insufficient during this sharp turn, which triggered the stall and subsequent crash.