Investigation Summary
Flight 282 was a scheduled cargo flight carrying 41,078 pounds of holiday goods, including electronics and textiles. The flight was delayed by over three hours due to the unavailability of a flight engineer, who eventually had to be flown in from Los Angeles. Upon departure from Runway 28L at 00:28 PST, the crew was operating in poor weather conditions characterized by a moving cold front, heavy fog, and rain. Although cleared to climb outbound on the San Francisco 287 degree radial, the aircraft veered left of the course. Radar contact was established by Departure Control, but when the controller queried the crew about their track toward the GAP radio beacon, they reported an altitude of only 900 feet. Seconds after the controller warned the crew they were left of course, the radar target bloomed and disappeared. The aircraft struck Sweeney Ridge at an elevation of 860 feet above sea level, approximately 4.3 miles west-southwest of the airport. The investigation noted that while the aircraft was within its maximum takeoff weight limits, the environmental conditions on the leeward side of the ridge likely produced downdrafts that exceeded the climb capability of the aircraft in its off-course position.
Final Conclusions
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) determined the probable cause was the pilot's deviation from the departure course into an area of rising terrain for undetermined reasons. This deviation placed the aircraft in a region where downdraft activity and turbulence negatively affected its climb capability, preventing it from clearing the ridge. The final report was adopted on June 2, 1966.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Jabez A. Richards, age 49.
First Officer
Daniel W. Hennessy, age 33.
Systems & Failure Modes
Landing Lights
Witnesses reported the landing lights were on during the climb; on the L-1049H, these can be retracted flush with the wing while remaining illuminated.
Radar Departure Control
The controller used a 30-mile radar setting, switching to a 10-mile setting just before the crash to provide more precise vectoring information.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was carrying 41,078 pounds of cargo and 5,000 gallons of fuel, totaling a takeoff weight of 142,073 pounds.
- 02The impact occurred at 860 feet above sea level on the 257 degree radial of the SFO TVOR.
- 03Weather at the time included heavy fog, rain, and a left crosswind of 18 to 25 knots.
- 04The crash site was located very close to a U.S. Coast Guard radio station on Sweeney Ridge.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Radar Departure Procedures
Source ↗The investigation highlighted the importance of controller vigilance during radar departures in poor weather. The controller's decision to switch to a 10-mile radar range provided more precise data, though the aircraft's low altitude and rapid deviation limited the time available for corrective instructions.