Alaska Airlines Flight 779
A Douglas DC-6, the aircraft type involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 21, 1961 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain short of runway |
| Site | Shemya Air Force Base, Shemya, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-6A |
| Operator | Alaska Airlines |
| Registration | N6118C |
| Flight origin | Paine Field, Everett, Washington |
| 1st stopover | Travis Air Force Base |
| 2nd stopover | Anchorage International Airport |
| Last stopover | Shemya Air Force Base |
| Destination | Tachikawa Airfield |
| Occupants | 6 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Alaska Airlines Flight 779 was a contract cargo flight operated on 21 July 1961 by an Alaska Airlines Douglas DC-6A that crashed short of the runway at Shemya Air Force Base with the loss of all six crew members on board.
The investigating board determined that the probable cause of the accident was a lack of approach and runway lighting and improper guidance by the air traffic controller.