West Coast Airlines Flight 956
Encyclopedia
West Coast Airlines Flight 956 was a scheduled commercial flight which crashed on October 1, 1966, approximately 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south of Wemme
, Oregon
, United States
. Thirteen passengers and five crew members were aboard, and there were no survivors. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire. The probable cause of the accident was "the descent of the aircraft below its clearance limit and below that of surrounding obstructing terrain, but the Board was unable to determine the cause of such descent." This accident was the first loss of a Douglas DC-9
.
to San Francisco, California
with intermediate stops in Portland
and Eugene
. After approximately one hour on the ground, the aircraft and crew became Flight 956, which reversed the route and stops of the previous flight. Flight 956 arrived in Eugene at 19:34 and departed for Portland at 19:52. The flight received an Instrument Flight Rules
(IFR) clearance via Victor Airway 23
at 12000 feet (3,657.6 m) altitude.
advised the flight that Runway 28R was in use at Portland International Airport
and instructed the flight to "turn right heading three zero zero." After questioning the direction of the turn, the crew acknowledged "Right turn to three zero zero, roger." The controller lost radar contact with the flight while it was in the right turn passing through an estimated heading of 140-160 degrees. At 20:09:09 the crew was requested to report when established on a heading of 300 degrees. After repeating the request, the crew responded at 20:09:27 "Nine five six wilco." When the radar target failed to return, and no other transmissions were heard from the flight, accident notification procedures were initiated at 20:15. An F-106 aircraft from McChord Air Force Base east of Tacoma, Washington
and a HU-16 Albatross
from Portland's air base were dispatched to attempt to locate the missing plane on the night it disappeared. At the time of the disappearance, the flight ceiling was at 2,900 feet, with the weather consisting of rain.
. The wreckage is located on the eastern slope of a 4090 feet (1,246.6 m) ridge in the Salmon Mountain Complex
at an elevation of 3830 feet (1,167.4 m). The aircraft attitude was 30 degrees right bank, in a 3-4 degree climbing flightpath on a heading of 265 degrees at impact. After shearing numerous large fir trees, it struck the 30-35 degree upslope and slid uphill approximately 150 feet (45.7 m). The main wreckage came to rest at an elevation of 3890 feet (1,185.7 m), and a severe ground fire occurred.
All of the extremities of the aircraft were accounted for, and no evidence of in-flight structural failure, fire, or explosion was found. The aircraft was equipped with a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder. Although both were recovered from the wreckage, only the flight data recorder
provided a usable record. William L. Lamb of the Civil Aeronautics Board was in charge of the investigation.
N9101, a Douglas DC-9-14, serial number 45794, was purchased new by West Coast Airlines
on September 16, 1966, just 15 days prior to the accident. The plane had entered service on Monday, September 26, 1966. At the time of the accident, N9101 had flown a total of 164 hours ten minutes and had been maintained as required by the Federal Aviation Administration
. The cost of the 75 passenger plane was $3 million.
. However, in the process of the investigation, the NTSB made these findings:
Wemme, Oregon
Wemme is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located within the Mount Hood Corridor, between Welches and Brightwood along U.S. Route 26. It is one of the communities that make up the Villages at Mount Hood....
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Thirteen passengers and five crew members were aboard, and there were no survivors. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire. The probable cause of the accident was "the descent of the aircraft below its clearance limit and below that of surrounding obstructing terrain, but the Board was unable to determine the cause of such descent." This accident was the first loss of a Douglas DC-9
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
.
History
On October 1, 1966, a Douglas DC-9 registered as operated as Flight 941 from Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
with intermediate stops in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
. After approximately one hour on the ground, the aircraft and crew became Flight 956, which reversed the route and stops of the previous flight. Flight 956 arrived in Eugene at 19:34 and departed for Portland at 19:52. The flight received an Instrument Flight Rules
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
(IFR) clearance via Victor Airway 23
Airway (aviation)
In aviation, an airway is a designated route in the air. Airways are laid out between navigational aids such as VORs, NDBs and Intersections ....
at 12000 feet (3,657.6 m) altitude.
Accident
Under Air Traffic Control radar vector at 20:04:25, Flight 956 received descent instructions from Seattle Center. Flight 956 acknowledged the transmission to descend to 9000 feet (2,743.2 m) from 14000 feet (4,267.2 m). Approximately one minute later, the controllerAir traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
advised the flight that Runway 28R was in use at Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...
and instructed the flight to "turn right heading three zero zero." After questioning the direction of the turn, the crew acknowledged "Right turn to three zero zero, roger." The controller lost radar contact with the flight while it was in the right turn passing through an estimated heading of 140-160 degrees. At 20:09:09 the crew was requested to report when established on a heading of 300 degrees. After repeating the request, the crew responded at 20:09:27 "Nine five six wilco." When the radar target failed to return, and no other transmissions were heard from the flight, accident notification procedures were initiated at 20:15. An F-106 aircraft from McChord Air Force Base east of Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
and a HU-16 Albatross
HU-16 Albatross
The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large twin-radial engine amphibious flying boat that was utilized by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, primarily as a search and rescue and combat search and rescue aircraft...
from Portland's air base were dispatched to attempt to locate the missing plane on the night it disappeared. At the time of the disappearance, the flight ceiling was at 2,900 feet, with the weather consisting of rain.
Wreckage
Searchers found the plane the following afternoon. The aircraft crashed in an unpopulated section of the Mount Hood National ForestMount Hood National Forest
The Mount Hood National Forest is located east of the city of Portland, Oregon, and the northern Willamette River valley. The Forest extends south from the Columbia River Gorge across more than of forested mountains, lakes and streams to the Olallie Scenic Area, a high lake basin under the slopes...
. The wreckage is located on the eastern slope of a 4090 feet (1,246.6 m) ridge in the Salmon Mountain Complex
Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness
The Salmon–Huckleberry Wilderness is a wilderness area located on the southern side of Mount Hood in the northwestern Cascades of Oregon, United States. It lies within the Mount Hood National Forest and comprises of land...
at an elevation of 3830 feet (1,167.4 m). The aircraft attitude was 30 degrees right bank, in a 3-4 degree climbing flightpath on a heading of 265 degrees at impact. After shearing numerous large fir trees, it struck the 30-35 degree upslope and slid uphill approximately 150 feet (45.7 m). The main wreckage came to rest at an elevation of 3890 feet (1,185.7 m), and a severe ground fire occurred.
All of the extremities of the aircraft were accounted for, and no evidence of in-flight structural failure, fire, or explosion was found. The aircraft was equipped with a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder. Although both were recovered from the wreckage, only the flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
provided a usable record. William L. Lamb of the Civil Aeronautics Board was in charge of the investigation.
Aircraft information
West Coast Airlines
West Coast Airlines was a U.S. domestic and international regional airline linking smaller communities with larger cities in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Montana, California and northward to southern Canada...
on September 16, 1966, just 15 days prior to the accident. The plane had entered service on Monday, September 26, 1966. At the time of the accident, N9101 had flown a total of 164 hours ten minutes and had been maintained as required by the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
. The cost of the 75 passenger plane was $3 million.
Findings
The specific cause of the accident was never determined by the National Transportation Safety BoardNational Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
. However, in the process of the investigation, the NTSB made these findings:
- The aircraft was airworthy and the pilots were properly certified.
- There was no mechanical failure of the aircraft, its systems, powerplants or components.
- The flight was cleared to, and acknowledged, an assigned altitude of 9,000 feet.
- The aircraft was being flown on autopilot.
- The flight descended in a normal manner to approximately 4,000 feet and leveled off.
- An abrupt climb was initiated two seconds before impact.
See also
- List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- Controlled flight into terrainControlled flight into terrainControlled flight into terrain describes an accident in which an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, is unintentionally flown into the ground, a mountain, water, or an obstacle. The term was coined by engineers at Boeing in the late 1970s...