Wenatchee

The airplane collided with mountainous terrain during cruise after encountering turbulence and downdrafts associated with mountain wave conditions. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot called the Reno Automated Flight Service Station at 0941 and filed an IFR flight plan, then asked for the winds aloft forecast, which was provided. The pilot did not request any additional weather briefing information for the flight. No other record was found that the pilot obtained additional weather forecast information from any official source associated with the FAA or the National Weather Service. At the time of the pilot's call to the Reno AFSS, several AIRMET weather advisories had been issued hours prior detailing warnings for turbulence and clear icing along the route of flight. The advisories warned of occasional moderate turbulence below 18,000 feet in moderately strong westerly winds especially in the vicinity of mountainous terrain. Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) between 18,000 and 40,000 feet was forecast over the area of the accident site due to jet stream wind shear and mountain wave activity. The pilot departed under visual flight rules (VFR) and picked up his instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance en route and climbed to 14,000 feet. The pilot later asked if he could maintain 12,500 feet. The controller advised him that the minimum IFR altitude on this segment of his route was 14,000 feet, and the pilot cancelled his IFR flight plan. The controller advised the pilot that he had lost radar contact, and instructed the pilot to squawk VFR and the pilot acknowledged the transmission. The last radar target was about 1/2 mile east of Eagle Peak (elevation 9,920 feet) in the Warner Mountains. Rescuers discovered the wreckage near the crest of Eagle Peak on November 23. Investigators found no anomalies with the airframe, engines, or propellers that would have precluded normal operation. The NWS had a full series of AIRMETs current over the proposed route of flight, which included mountain obscuration, turbulence, and icing. Analysis of the weather conditions disclosed a layer between 9,500 and 11,000 feet over the accident site area as having a high likelihood of severe or greater turbulence. A pilot on the same route of flight reported at 1127 that he was in instrument conditions at 11,000 feet, and experiencing light turbulence and light clear icing conditions. He also reported encountering updrafts of 2,000 feet per minute, which was indicative of mountain wave activity. A company pilot was in a second Aero Commander trailing the accident airplane and he reported that at 1147, at a position near the accident site, he encountered a severe downdraft. He applied full climb power, but as the airplane passed over the accident site position, the airplane continued to lose altitude even at maximum power. At 1159, he was able to gain altitude, and return to his assigned cruising altitude of 14,000 feet. The second Aero Commander was turbocharged, the accident airplane was not. Analysis showed that the topography of the area was critical in this case, given that the accident site was at an elevation of 9,240 feet on the eastern slope of Eagle Peak. The accident airplane's flight track was normal along the airway until immediately downwind of the higher terrain. As the flight approached the lee side of the mountain, it came under the influence of the mountain wave and first encountered an updraft and then a downdraft, which increased in amplitude as the flight progressed towards Eagle Peak. Eagle Peak was the tallest point along the Warner Mountain range and the steep slope of this terrain was significant when the mountain wave action was encountered. Such terrain features have been known to enhance the vertical downdrafts and updrafts associated with the most intense mountain wave turbulence.

The pilot started the descent to Seattle-Boeing Field Airport when the left engine failed. The airplane entered a dive, went through the clouds and crashed in flames in Fall City. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Following a fire fighting mission in the region of Wenatchee, the crew was returning to Wenatchee-Pangborn Airport. On short final, the airplane crashed in flames short of runway threshold and came to rest. Both pilots were slightly injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Upon landing on a swift river near Wenatchee, the float equipped aircraft crashed and partially sank. The pilot was rescued while the passenger drowned.

At Spokane the aircraft was checked visually, and departed Geiger Field at 1204 with the same crew, seven passengers, and 800 gallons of fuel. The flight plan was under Instrument Flight Rules to cruise at 6,000 feet Mean Sea Level between Spokane and Wenatchee, Washington. At takeoff the aircraft’s total weight was 33,822 pounds, as compared with a maximum allowable of 37,780 pounds. The disposable load was distributed in such a manner that the aircraft’s center of gravity was within prescribed limits. Four minutes after takeoff, at 1208, the flight reported having reached the cruising level of 6,000 feet MSL at 1207. At 1212 it was given the Wenatchee weather which was below minima. The flight immediately asked clearance to the next scheduled stop, Yakima, where the weather was above minima. While the Spokane radio operator was obtaining the requested clearance, the flight broadcasted an emergency message. This was at about 1213, only some 15 seconds after asking for the new clearance. No difficulty of any sort had been reported previously. This emergency message was copied by company operators at Spokane, Yakima and Seattle. At the latter place it was also recorded on a magnetic tape by Aeronautical Radio, Inc., an independent radio organization serving several air carriers. The message was in three short sentences. All operators agree that the first was, “We are in trouble,” and that the last was, “Going down fast.” The middle sentence was interpreted by one operator as, “Plane gone nuts” and by the second as, “Right engine haywire.” The third operator put down a series of Q’s, meaning not understood. The actual context of the message will be discussed later in this reports. There was no further radio contact with the flight. At or about 1214 the aircraft crashed on the Pundy farm about three miles west of Reardan, Washington, and approximately 20 miles from Geiger Field. All aboard were killed. A flash fire followed impact and burning continued for some time at the end location throughout the wreckage area. Weather conditions during the short flight from Geiger Field to the impact site included restricted visibility due to light snow. At the flight level there was no icing or turbulence either forecast or reported. Instrument conditions prevailed at the flight’s altitude. At the place and time of the crash the ceiling was about 200 feet and the surface visibility about one-third mile.

While performing a training exercise in the region of Wenatchee, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. In low visibility, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain and disintegrated. All six crew members were killed.

The airplane departed Spokane at 1522LT with two passengers and three crew members on board. It landed at Wenatchee-Fancher Field at 1635LT and four additional passengers boarded. On the leg to Seattle, weather conditions worsened and the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane impacted trees and crashed on the slope of a mountain located 10 km east of Selleck. The aircraft was destroyed and all 9 occupants were injured.
Crew:
Ben Z. Redfield, pilot,
Dwight A. Hansen, copilot,
Marian Bennett, stewardess.
Passengers:
Paul C. Beezley,
Mildred A. Johannesen,
Helen Curran,
Robert C. Clark,
Daisy A. Moony,
Mercedes Boyd.