Alaska Airlines Flt 779 Crash Site

 crash site, aeroplane

While on short final approach to Shemya Air Force Base in the early morning of July 21st, 1961, Alaska Airlines flight 779, a DC-6 out of Seattle with six crew and 26,000lbs of supplies aboard, crashed into this embankment some 200ft short of the runway at 02:11hrs after a controlled flight into terrain.

The aircraft broke into two sections following the impact just foreward of the wing leading edges, with everything aft of the wings sliding back down the embankment and the nose, crew and majority of the cargo slding to a halt some 100 yards up the runway. Much of the airframe was quickly consumed by fire and rescue teams were unable to save any of the 6-member crew.

Investigations into the cause of the crash found that the air traffic controller at Shemya Air Force Base neglected to turn on either the approach or runway lights for the inbound aircraft, and failed to alert it's crew that they were too low for a safe landing.

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