World Airways Flight 802
On September 8, 1973, a Douglas DC-8 operated by World Airways as World Airways Flight 802 crashed on high ground while on approach to Cold Bay Airport, Alaska, killing all six people on board.[1]
%252C_World_Airways_JP6538344.jpg.webp) A World Airways DC-8 sister ship of the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8 September 1973 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to Pilot error |
| Site | King Cove, Alaska 55.1893°N 162.2645°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-8-63CF |
| Operator | World Airways |
| Registration | N802WA |
| Flight origin | Travis AFB, California |
| 1st stopover | Cold Bay Airport, Alaska |
| Last stopover | Yokota AFB, Japan |
| Destination | Clark AFB, Philippines |
| Occupants | 6 |
| Passengers | 3 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Survivors | 0 |
The official accident investigation concluded that the probable cause was the captain's non-adherence to published instrument approach procedures for the destination airport.
History of the flight
Flight 802 was a contract cargo flight for the US Military Airlift Command from Travis AFB, California, to Clark AFB, Philippines; Cold Bay was the first planned stopover. The flight crew consisted of three members, while on board were also three non-revenue passengers, including two company employees.
The aircraft operating flight 802 was a four-engine Douglas DC-8-63CF jetliner, registration N802WA,[2] which had entered service two years earlier, in 1971. Maintenance records for the aircraft did not highlight any significant problem.[3]
Final descent and crash
After an uneventful flight from Travis, the aircraft descended in cloud towards Cold Bay Airport, straying significantly off-course and into an area of poor radio navigation reception, until at 05:42 AKDT it struck Mount Dutton at an altitude of 3,500 ft (1,100 m).[3]
References
- "Crashed jet found; crew dead". Chicago Tribune. September 10, 1973. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- "FAA Registry (N802WA)". Federal Aviation Administration.
- Aircraft Accident Report, World Airways, Inc., DC-8-63F, N802WA, King Cove, Alaska, September 8, 1973 (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. May 8, 1974. NTSB-AAR-74-6. Retrieved 11 November 2016.