Wikipedia:Today's featured article/March 1, 2024
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Paradise Airlines Flight 901A was a passenger flight from San Jose Municipal Airport to Tahoe Valley Airport in the United States. On March 1, 1964, the Lockheed L-049 Constellation (example pictured) serving the flight crashed near Genoa Peak, on the eastern side of Lake Tahoe, killing all 85 aboard. The cause of the accident was the pilot's decision to attempt to land at Tahoe Valley Airport when the visibility was too low. After aborting the attempt, the crew lost awareness of the plane's location as it flew below the minimum safe altitude in mountainous terrain. The pilot likely tried to fly through a low mountain pass to divert to the airport in Reno, Nevada, and crashed into a mountain near the pass. At the time, it was the second-deadliest single-plane crash in United States history. It remains the worst accident involving the Lockheed L-049 Constellation. The Federal Aviation Administration revoked the airline's operating certificate, causing them to permanently shut down. (Full article...)