Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 16 January 1958
Aircraft Type: Douglas C-47D (DC-3)
Owner/operator: Interior Enterprise
Registration Number: N75391
Location: Aklavik, NT –
ÿ Canada
Phase of Flight: Unknown
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Component Affected: Aircraft Navigation SystemAircraft Navigation System
Category: Accident
A pilot operating an aircraft over a remote Canadian area utilized the nondirectional radio homing beacon (DF) for navigation. The pilot lacked prior knowledge of the beacon’s known instability due to terrestrial conditions and atmospheric disturbances, leading to a deviation from the planned course and subsequent crash in a ridge.A pilot operating an aircraft over a remote Canadian area utilized the nondirectional radio homing beacon (DF) for navigation. The pilot lacked prior knowledge of the beacon’s known instability due to terrestrial conditions and atmospheric disturbances, leading to a deviation from the planned course and subsequent crash in a ridge.
Description
The captain used the nondirectional radio homing beacon (DF) for navigation while flying over a remote area of Canada. He had not been advised that this facility is frequently unreliable at levels due to terrestrial conditions and normal atmospheric disturbances. The aircraft deviated from the planned course and crashed in a ridge, some 50 feet from the top.
Primary Cause
Lack of awareness of beacon reliability due to environmental factors.Lack of awareness of beacon reliability due to environmental factors.Share on:
