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| Title: | Crash into terrain, West Coast Airlines, Inc., DC-9, N9101, Near Wemme, Oregon, October 1, 1966 |
| Micro summary: | On approach, this Douglas DC-9 crashed into terrain. |
| Event Time: | 1966-10-01 at 2010 PDT |
| File Name: | 1966-10-01-US.pdf |
| Publishing Agency: | National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) |
| Publishing Country: | USA |
| Report number: | NTSB-AAR-1967-12-11 |
| Pages: | 20 |
| Site of event: | 5.5 miles S of Wemme, Oregon |
| Latitude/Longitude: | N45°51'21" W121°59'36" |
| Departure: | Eugene Airport (Mahlon Sweet Field), Eugene, Oregon, USA |
| Destination: | Portland International Airport, Portland, Oregon |
| Airplane Type(s): | Douglas DC-9 |
| Flight Phase: | Approach |
| Registration(s): | N9101 |
| Operator(s): | West Coast Airlines, Inc. |
| Type of flight: | Revenue |
| Occupants: | 18 |
| Fatalities: | 18 |
| Serious Injuries: | 0 |
| Minor/Non-Injured: | 0 |
| Other Injuries: | 0 |
| Executive Summary: | About 2010 PDT, October 1, 1966, West Coast Airlines, Inc., N9101, operating as Flight 956, crashed approximately 5.5 miles south of Wemme, Oregon. Impact occurred at the 3,830-foot level on the eastern slope of Salmon Mountain. The 13 passengers and five crewmembers were fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire. Flight 956, regularly scheduled from San Francisco to Seattle with intermediate stops at Eugene and Portland, was being vectored for an approach to Portland at the time of the accident. The crew had acknowledged descent instructions from 14,000 to 9,000 feet, and was turning to an assigned heading of 300 degrees when radar contact was lost. The controller twice requested the flight to advise him when they reached the assigned heading. At 2009:27 the crew achowledged, "Nine five six wilco." This was the last transmission from the flight. The Board determines the probable cause of this accident was the descent of the aircraft below its clearance limit and below that of surrounding obstructing terrain, but the Board has been unable to determine the cause of such descent. |
| Learning Keywords: | Operations - Airspace - Air Traffic Control |
| Operations - Altitude Excursion | |
| Operations - Controlled Flight Into Terrain | |
| Consequence - Hull Loss |
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