Incident Overview

Date: Sunday 21 April 1957
Aircraft Type: Douglas DC-3C
Owner/operator: Frontier Airlines (FL)
Registration Number: N65276
Location: 64 km N of Phoenix, AZ – ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 26
Component Affected: Left WingLeft Wing
Investigating Agency: CABCAB
Category: Accident
Frontier Flight 7 experienced a significant incident during its flight between Denver and Phoenix. The aircraft descended due to reduced visibility, resulting in a wing strike on a mountain ridge approximately 4600 feet above sea level. The left wing and aileron were lost, and the aircraft landed safely at Phoenix.Frontier Flight 7 experienced a significant incident during its flight between Denver and Phoenix. The aircraft descended due to reduced visibility, resulting in a wing strike on a mountain ridge approximately 4600 feet above sea level. The left wing and aileron were lost, and the aircraft landed safely at Phoenix.

Description

Frontier flight 7 was a regular service between Denver, CO and Phoenix, AZ with several intermediate stops. The flight departed Prescott, Arizona at 13:21 for the final leg. Cruising altitude was 6500 feet. En route the airplane descended due to decreasing visibility. At an altitude of about 4600 feet the left wing impacted the side of a mountain ridge. The portion of the left wing and the aileron torn off was from station 286.4 outboard to the tip. A safe landing was made at Phoenix at 14:05. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the attempt by the pilot to fly over mountainous terrain by visual reference to the ground in weather conditions which severely restricted forward visibility and necessitated a descent to a dangerously low altitude.”

Primary Cause

The pilot’s attempt to fly over mountainous terrain under deteriorating visibility conditions severely restricted forward visibility and necessitated a descent to a dangerously low altitude.The pilot’s attempt to fly over mountainous terrain under deteriorating visibility conditions severely restricted forward visibility and necessitated a descent to a dangerously low altitude.

Share on:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *