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]