Alaska Airlines 1866

By NTSB

On September 4, 1971 just after noon, Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, a Boeing 727, crashed during an instrument approach to Juneau Municipal Airport.

The flight had been cleared for a Localizer Directional Aid (LDA) approach to Runway 8 and had reported passing the final approach fix (Barlow Intersection). This intersection is located 10.2 miles west of the airport. No further communications were heard from the flight.

The aircraft struck a slope in the Chilkat Mountain range at about the 2,500 foot level, 18.5 miles west of the airport and approximately on the inbound localizer course. All 104 passengers and the seven crewmembers were killed. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and isolated post-crash fires.

Boeing 727-193 This is the actual Boeing 727 that crashed, seen here in Air West livery at San Francisco International Airport (SFO in December, 1968. Image courtesy of John Stewart. Find more of his photos at Airliners.net.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the probable cause of the accident was a display of misleading navigational information concerning the flight's progress along the localizer course which resulted in premature descent below obstacle clearance altitude. The origin or nature of the misleading navigational information could not be determined.

The board further concluded that the crew did not use all available navigational aids to check their progress nor were these aids required to be used. The crew also did not perform the required audio identification of the pertinent navigational facilities.

Source: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report NTSB-AAR-72-28

Alaska Airlines 1866 at a Glance
Airline	Alaska Airlines
Date	September 4, 1971
Flight number	1866
Registration Number	N2969G
Crew Fatalities	7 of 7
Passenger Fatalities	104 of 104
Total Fatalities	111 of 111

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