Date & Time:
Feb 18, 1969 at 0510 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-49 (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
N15570
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Hawthorne - Burbank - Long Beach
MSN:
6320
YOM:
1943
Flight number:
HNA708
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
32
Pax fatalities:
32
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
35
Captain / Total hours on type:
6000
Copilot / Total hours on type:
967
Aircraft flight hours:
48274
Circumstances:
While cruising by night under VFR mode, the crew changed his route from 170° to 195° direction Palmdale as they thought flying over the valley. Shortly later, the airplane struck a ridge and crashed down the slope of Mt Whitney (11,770 feet high) located about 12,5 miles west of Lone Pine. SAR operations were quickly conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the 35 occupants was found. The wreckage was located in a very hazardous area on August 8, 1969 and was not detectable till this date due to snow accumulation on the ground. The accident was unsurvivable.
Probable cause:
The deviation from the prescribed route of flight, as authorized in the company's FAA-approved operations specifications, resulting in the aircraft being operated under IFR weather conditions, in high mountainous terrain, in an area where there was a lack of radio navigation aids.
Final Report:
N15570.pdf772 KB
