San Francisco

While approaching San Francisco Airport in foggy conditions, the crew reduced his altitude and passed below the minimum descent altitude when the twin engine airplane struck the water surface and crashed into the San Francisco Bay, few hundred yards off shore. All four occupants were injured and rescued while the aircraft sank and was lost. At the time of the accident, the visibility was reduced due to fog.

Prior to takeoff, the local controller offered pilot choice of runways 01 or 28. The crew decided to takeoff from runway 01. During the takeoff roll, the airplane was caught by strong winds and control was lost. The airplane veered off runway, lost its undercarriage and came to rest in flames. Both pilots were injured and the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

On final approach to San Francisco Airport, while on a night cargo flight, the crew reported pitch problems when control was lost. The airplane crashed into the sea few miles off shore. The copilot was rescued while the body of the captain was found a week later. The airplane sank and was not recovered.

The takeoff warning horn sounded shortly after commencing takeoff from runway 09R. The takeoff was continued as the crew tried to figure out what caused the warning. The horn ceased prior to reaching rotate speed. The stick shaker came on and thrust was added, but the aircraft failed to climb and the captain elected to discontinue the takeoff. The 727 settled back to the macadam shoulder off the right side of the runway and struck a ditch, coming to rest 1,100 feet beyond the runway end and 300 feet right of the extended centreline. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and all three crew members were injured. The flaps had been set at 2° instead of takeoff range of 5°-25°.

Flight 282 was a scheduled domestic cargo flight from San Francisco International Airport, California, to John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York. It was originally scheduled to depart at 2100 hours, Pacific Standard Time, on 23 December, but the flight was delayed because of the non-availability of a flight engineer. An engineer obtained from Los Angeles arrived in San Francisco at 2315 hours and the flight departed at 0028 hours on 24 December. At 0015 hours, while taxiing to runway 28L, the flight advised Ground Control that because of a heavy load, they would like to proceed out past the GAP Radio Beacon to the Golden Gate Intersection, and thence via Victor 150 to Sacramento instead of direct to Sacramento as originally filed. The request was coordinated with Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Centre and approval obtained. The crew was then advised that for take-off on runway 28L there would be a 'heavy' left crosswind from 210° at 18 to 25 knots which they acknowledged. After having switched to clearance delivery frequency, the flight was cleared to Kennedy Airport via Victor one fifty Sacramento, Victor six north, and requested to climb out on the San Francisco two eight seven radial for a vector to Golden Gate Intersection to intercept Victor one fifty. This was acknowledged. The Clearance Delivery Controller then stated: " You can disregard the vector, climb outbound San Francisco 287° radial to Golden Gate Intersection, then Victor 150, and, depending on your altitude, they probably will give you a vector to intercept (Victor) 150 before you get to Golden Gate". This was also acknowledged. The Local Controller, who was also Tower Supervisor, noted the time of 0030 on his clock as the aircraft became airborne and passed the tower. An eyewitness observed the landing lights retracting as the aircraft crossed the end of the runway. However, several witnesses along the flight path, including some located at points just prior to the crash, saw both landing lights on. Landing lights of the L-1049H may be retracted flush with the lower wing surface and remain on until switched off. After take-off, witnesses stated the aircraft made a slight turn to the right, then a steeper turn to the left, and then was observed returning to a wings-level attitude as it entered the clouds. At 0030:22, the flight was advised to contact Departure Control and did so immediately. The Departure Controller advised the flight at 0030:57 that he had radar contact with it and requested it to report leaving thousand-foot altitudes. At 0031:05, the crew asked how they were tracking toward the GAP. The Departure Controller switched his radar scope from the 30 to the 10-mile setting and requested the flight's altitude. The crew!replied they were at 900 ft. At 0031:20, the Departure Controller advised that they were left of the San Francisco 287° radial. As he received no acknowledgement he repeated his message. The Departure Controller stated that within seconds after the second transmission, the target stopped, bloomed, and disappeared from the radar scope. Repeated attempts to communicate with the flight after its disappearance from the scope were unsuccessful. At this time, 0032:30, the controller placed a time hack on the communications tape. Ground impact was computed to have occurred at approximately 0031:30. Main impact occurred 860 ft above sea level on Sweeney's Ridge, at approximately 4.3 miles on the 257° radial of the SFO TVOR. The coordinates of the impact area were 122° 28' 00" W longitude and 37° 38' 28" N latitude. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all three crew members were killed.

A Pacific Air Lines, Inc., Fairchild F-27, N2770R, operating as Flight 773, crashed near San Ramon, California, at approximately 0649, May 7, 1964, while en route from Reno, Nevada, to San Francisco, California. None of the 44 occupants aboard, including the three crew members and 41 passengers, survived the crash. The aircraft was destroyed by impact. The flight proceeded in a routine manner until approximately 26 nautical miles from its destination, the San Francisco International Airport. At that point, a message was received by Oakland Approach Control and the radar target associated with Flight 773 disappeared from the controller's radar scope. The recorded message, later determined to have been that of the copilot of N2770R was: "... Skippers shot. We're ben shot. (I was) Try'in ta help." A .357 Smith and Wesson Magnum revolver identified as having belonged to one of the passengers on the flight was found in the wreckage area. It contained six empty cartridges, which had been fired from the weapon.

A Slick Airways Lockheed 1049H, N9740Z, crashed and burned during an ILS approach to runway 28R at the San Francisco International Airport at approximately 1207 P.s.t., February 3, 1963. Due to an inoperative glide slope receiver, the crew was listening radar advisories on the localizer receiver for altitude information. The aircraft struck approach lights 1,170 feet from the runway threshold, climbed to about 200 feet and then crashed approximately 1,900 feet beyond the threshold and on the left edge of runway 28L. Of the three crew members and five passengers aboard, the captain, first officer, and two passengers received fatal injuries. The remaining persons aboard received serious injuries. The aircraft was destroyed by subsequent fire.

The twin engine aircraft was performing a flight from Travis AFB to San Francisco, carrying a crew of two and five passengers, among them four US Army Officers who should be transferred to San Francisco. Shortly after takeoff, while in initial climb, the airplane banked left, stalled and crashed in flames. All seven occupants were killed.

While flying in foggy conditions, the twin engine aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located near Minersville. All six occupants were killed.

The crew was completing a local training at San Francisco Airport, part of a transition program. The approach was completed with a high rate of descent and when the pilot-in-command elected to complete the flare, the four engine aircraft descended until it impacted the runway surface. The undercarriage was sheared off on impact and the airplane skidded for several yards before coming to rest in flames. All three crew members were evacuated safely while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.