CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT
AAXICO AIRLINES, INC.
DOUGLAS DC-6A, N6541C
WEST SLOPE OF MT. RAINIER, WASHINGTON
APRIL 23, 1965
SYNOPSIS
On April 23, 1965, at 1423 P.s.t., an AAXICO Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-6A, N6541C, crashed on the west slope of Mt. Rainier, Washington. THe accident site was 40.2 nautical miles southeast of the Seattle VORTAC, on the 125-degree radial, at an elevation of 10,200 feet m.s.l. The aircraft was being operated as Logair Flight 1422A, on a Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight from Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington, to Hill Air Force Base (AFB), Utah. All five crew members received fatal injuries as a result of the crash.
The flight was attempting to obtain an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) clearance when it struck the snow covered glacier. The aircraft was destroyed by impact. There was no fire.
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the improper correlation of the aircraft position with respect to obstructing terrain while continuing the flight on a VFR flight plan in instrument weather conditions.
1. INVESTIGATION
1.1 History of Flight
AAXICO Airlines, Inc., Logair[1] Flight 1422A, a Douglas DC-6A, N6541C was operating as a Military Air Transport Service (MATS) cargo flight between McClellan AFB, California, and Hill AFB, Utah.
The flight departed McClellan AFB, California, at 1302[2] April 22, 1965, as Logair Flight 1422A, for Minot AFB, North Dakota, with scheduled stops at Castle AFB, California, Norton AFB, California, Nellis AFB, Nevada, and Hill AFB, Utah. The flight arrived at Minot AFB at 0246 April 23. No mechanical difficulties or discrepancies were reported and the aircraft was turned over to the outgoing crew as being in good mechanical condition.
From Minot Logair 6541C was dispatched to Hill AFB with scheduled stops at Glasgow AFB, Montana, Malmstrom AFB, Montana, Fairchild AFB, Washington, Larson AFB, Washington, McChord AFB and Boeing Field, Washington. The flight overflew
