.jpg) A Douglas DC-6, the aircraft type involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 21, 1961 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain short of runway |
| Site | Shemya Air Force Base, Shemya, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-6A |
| Operator | Alaska Airlines |
| Registration | N6118C |
| Flight origin | Paine Field, Everett, Washington |
| 1st stopover | Travis Air Force Base |
| 2nd stopover | Anchorage International Airport |
| Last stopover | Shemya Air Force Base |
| Destination | Tachikawa Airfield |
| Occupants | 6 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Alaska Airlines Flight 779 was a contract cargo flight operated on 21 July 1961 by an Alaska Airlines Douglas DC-6A that crashed short of the runway at Shemya Air Force Base with the loss of all six crew members on board.[1][2]
The investigating board determined that the probable cause of the accident was a lack of approach and runway lighting and improper guidance by the air traffic controller.[3]
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-6A N6118C Shemya AFB, AK (SYA)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- ^ "Shemya Island, AK Cargo Plane Crashes, July 1961 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods". www.gendisasters.com. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
- ^ CAB Final report, p. 9