Date & Time:
May 4, 1970 at 0804 LT
Type of aircraft:
Convair T-29
Operator:
Registration:
52-5822
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Hamilton - Spokane
MSN:
52-21
YOM:
1954
Flight number:
Visco 57
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
10
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from runway 30 at Hamilton AFB (Novato, CA), the crew was cleared to climb at his discretion, following heading 360 till 2,600 feet then heading 340. Few seconds later, the airplane struck trees and crashed on a mountain slope located eight miles from the airbase. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire. A passenger was seriously injured while 13 other occupants were killed. The crew from the 26th Division was completing a flight to Spokane, Washington. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were considered as good with three cloud layers at 900, 15,000 and 25,000 feet, a visibility of about 8 miles and a light wind from 340 at 2 knots.
Probable cause:
A second flight was completed in similar conditions few hours later and the investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident.
