1979 — Sep 14, Butler Aircraft Inc. DC-7 Plane Crash, Surveyor Mountain, OR — 12

–12  AP. “DC-7 crashes in Oregon.” Lethbridge Herald, Alberta, Canada, 9-15-1979, p. 2.

–12  Assoc. Press. “Firefighting plane crashes.” Huron Daily Plainsman, SD, 9-16-1979, p. 5.

–12  NTSB. AAR. Butler Aircraft, Inc.…Klamath Falls, Oregon, September 14, 1979. 1980, p. 1.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB Synopsis: “About 2047 Pacific daylight time, on September 14, 1979, a Douglas DC-7 (N4SW) owned and operated by Butler Aircraft, Inc., was transporting company employees to Medford, Oregon, when it crashed 24 miles west-northwest of Klamath Falls, Oregon, The 2 crewmembers and 10 passengers on board were killed The aircraft struck trees on the crest of Surveyor Mountain about 7 minutes after takeoff from the Kingsley Field Municipal Airport. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and ground fire. Although the night was dark, visibility was 10 miles and the wind was calm.

 

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the flightcrew’s decision to undertake a direct point to point high-cruise-speed flight at low altitudes. The crew’s judgment in the selection of a low-altitude flight profile may have been influenced by their familiarity with the terrain. [p. 1]

 

“1. Factional Information. 1.1 History of the Flight. On September 14, 1979, a Douglas DC-7 operated by Butler Aircraft, Inc…was on a company business flight from Redmond, Oregon, to Medford, Oregon, with an en route stop at Klamath Falls, Oregon. At Redmond…8 employees were enplaned, and the aircraft departed Redmond for Klamath Falls about 1945. The purpose of the flight was to transport Butler employees to an end-of-season barbecue in Medford… Tanker 69 [call-sign] landed at Klamath Palls at 2029. Two additional Butler employees were enplaned, and the aircraft departed runway 14 at Klamath Falls at 2040. The flightcrew did not file a flight plan, and the weather was such that none was required….

 

“About 2047, witnesses located 25 miles west-northwest of the airport heard sounds, which they first thought to be from a car or truck with loud mufflers. Subsequently. they determined that the sounds were an approaching aircraft. They heard engine sounds become “choppy,” resembling the noise made by a helicopter blade, and saw a fireball on Surveyor Peak, about 3½  miles south of their location. Weyerhauser Company and Oregon State Forestry Department personnel located about 12 miles from Surveyor Peak also saw the fireball on the peak. After notifying authorities, they took firefighting equipment to the scene.

 

“The aircraft crashed at night during hours of darkness (about 2047)…at an elevation of about 6,400 ft…. [p. 2]

 

“1.8     Aids to Navigation. There is no evidence to Indicate that the crew was utilizing navigational aids on this flight; however, those most likely to have been used were available and operating normally. These include the Klamath Falls and Medford VORTAC stations…. [p. 3]

 

“1.12   Wreckage and Impact Information.  The aircraft struck trees at the crest of Surveyor Mountain, ½  mile south of Surveyor Peak and 24 miles west-northwest of Kingsley Field Municipal Airport. The crest at this point is 6,400 ft. The area surrounding the site is mountainous, wooded, and sparsely populated. Impact marks in the trees began about 70 ft above ground level….The aircraft broke up extensively…. [p. 4]

 

“Analysis…. The collision-type accident Involved a number of operational factors that should be considered. The night profile flown by the pilot from takeoff to the accident was not in conformance with accepted standards. The normal climb schedule was not followed and it appears that the aircraft was on a direct point to point high-cruise-speed flight from Klamath Falls to Medford when it collided with the trees. A flight plan was not filed and appropriate altitudes were not selected for the in-flight cruise portion of the flight. The flightcrew had flown as a crew in the area for several years and they were familiar with the Klamath Falls-Medford route.

 

“This accident resulted in spite of a functioning crew, an airworthy aircraft, and visual meteorological flight conditions. Notwithstanding the crew’s familiarity with the area over which they planned to travel, prudence would dictate that a crew select a safer terrain clearance altitude when flying over mountainous terrain at night…. [p. 8]” (NTSB AAR. Butler Aircraft, Inc. Douglas DC-7, N4SW, Klamath Falls, Oregon, September 14, 1979. 1980.)

 

Newspaper

 

Sep 15: “Klamath Falls, Ore. (AP) – A DC-7 plane used to fight forest fires crashed on a southern Oregon mountain, apparently killing all 12 persons aboard, U.S. Forest Service officials said today. Officials said no survivors had been sighted following the crash late Friday. The plane had been used to drop fire-retardant chemicals on a small forest fire near Roseburg, northwest of Klamath Falls. It then stopped to pick up employees of the plane’s owner, Butler Aircraft Co. of Redmond.” (Associated Press. “DC-7 crashes in Oregon.” Lethbridge Herald, Alberta, Canada, 9-15-1979, p. 2.)

 

Sep 16: “Klamath Falls, Ore. (AP) – A four-engine DC-7 plane used to fight forest fires crashed and burned on a southern Oregon mountain, killing all 12 people aboard, authorities said Saturday [Sep 15]. Sue Hughes of the U.S. Forest Service said the plane crashed Friday night on 6,500-foot Surveyor Peak near Lake of the Woods, about 20 miles northwest of Klamath Falls.

 

“The plane had been used earlier Friday to drop fire retardant chemicals on a small forest fire near Roseburg, northwest of Klamath Falls. It then stopped to pick up some more employees of the plane’s owner, Butler Aircraft Co. of Redmond….” (AP. “Firefighting plane crashes.” Huron Daily Plainsman, SD, 9-16-1979, p. 5.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “DC-7 crashes in Oregon.” Lethbridge Herald, Alberta, Canada, 9-15-1979, p. 2. Accessed 7-21-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lethbridge-herald-sep-15-1979-p-2/

 

Associated Press. “Firefighting plane crashes.” Huron Daily Plainsman, SD, 9-16-1979, p. 5. Accessed 7-21-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/huron-daily-plainsman-sep-16-1979-p-5/?tag

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Butler Aircraft, Inc. Douglas DC-7, N4SW, Klamath Falls, Oregon, September 14, 1979. Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 6-10-1980, 15 pages. Accessed 7-21-2017 at: https://www.fss.aero/accident-reports/dvdfiles/US/1979-09-14-US.pdf