World Airways Flight 802

On September 8, 1973, a Douglas DC-8 operated by World Airways as World Airways Flight 802 crashed on high ground while on approach to Cold Bay Airport, Alaska, killing all six people on board.^[1]

World Airways Flight 802

A World Airways DC-8 sister ship of the accident aircraft
Accident
Date	8 September 1973 (1973-09-08)
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain
Site	King Cove, Alaska 55.1893°N 162.2645°W / 55.1893; -162.2645
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-8-63CF
Operator	World Airways
Call sign	WORLD 802
Registration	N802WA
Flight origin	Travis AFB, California
1st stopover	Cold Bay Airport, Alaska
Last stopover	Yokota AFB, Japan
Destination	Clark AFB, Philippines
Occupants	6
Passengers	3
Crew	3
Fatalities	6
Survivors	0

The official accident investigation concluded that the probable cause was the captain's non-adherence to published instrument approach procedures for the destination airport.

History of the flight

Flight 802 was a contract cargo flight for the US Military Airlift Command from Travis AFB, California, to Clark AFB, Philippines; Cold Bay was the first planned stopover. The flight crew consisted of Captain John A. Weininger (52), First Officer Gregg W. Evans (27), and Flight Engineer Robert W. Brocklesby (46), while on board were also three non-revenue passengers, including two company employees.

The aircraft operating flight 802 was a four-engine Douglas DC-8-63CF jetliner, registration N802WA,^[2] which had entered service two years earlier, in 1971. Maintenance records for the aircraft did not highlight any significant problem.^[3]

Final descent and crash

After an uneventful flight from Travis, the aircraft descended in cloud towards Cold Bay Airport, straying significantly off-course and into an area of poor radio navigation reception, until at 05:42 AKDT it struck Mount Dutton at an altitude of 3,500 ft (1,100 m).^[3]