Incident Overview
Date: Friday 28 October 1960
Aircraft Type: Douglas C-54A-10-DC (DC-4)
Owner/operator: Northwest Orient Airlines
Registration Number: N48762
Location: 32 km W of Missoula, MT –
ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 12 / Occupants: 12
Component Affected: Pilot controls and flight management system.Pilot controls and flight management system.
Investigating Agency: CABCAB
Category: Accident
An DC-4 aircraft, on a flight from Spokane, encountered severe weather conditions in the Clark Fork Valley. The pilot attempted a steep left banking turn, resulting in a series of maneuvers including a sink, roll, and inversion, ultimately leading to a crash.An DC-4 aircraft, on a flight from Spokane, encountered severe weather conditions in the Clark Fork Valley. The pilot attempted a steep left banking turn, resulting in a series of maneuvers including a sink, roll, and inversion, ultimately leading to a crash.
Description
The aircraft, on a flight from Spokane, was seen flying in and along the Clark Fork Valley. The DC-4 started to descend deeper into the valley; visibility became worse due to light snow showers and the tops of the mountains surrounding the valley were obscured by the overcast. The plane entered a steep left banking turn and the nose was raised in an apparent attempt to turn and climb out through an intersecting valley. The aircraft continued to sink, rolled left and crashed inverted. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The failure of the pilot to continue in accordance with his IFR flight plan by attempting a VFR approach during instrument weather conditions.”
Primary Cause
Pilot failure to adhere to IFR flight plan during instrument weather conditions.Pilot failure to adhere to IFR flight plan during instrument weather conditions.Share on:
