Flight 977: the descent into Cape May’s fog (1976)

The final approach

Atlantic City Airlines’ Twin Otter, operating as Allegheny Commuter Flight 977, crashed on December 12, 1976, about 4,000 feet short of runway 19 at Cape May County Airport. Ten people were aboard.

The NTSB found that the crew lost awareness of altitude during a circling approach. Wind shear increased the descent; uneven fog degraded visual references, while improper loading affected the aircraft’s balance and the sensations the pilots relied upon. Company procedures did not require altitude calls during the visual portion of the approach.

Why the report contains two death counts

The synopsis records four people eventually dying from their injuries. Its injury table counts three fatalities because another passenger died a month later, outside the seven-day definition then used in the report. Those figures describe different reporting boundaries, not a disagreement about whether that passenger died.