Estado:	Final
Fecha:	06 ABR 1951
Hora:	20:30
Tipo:	Douglas C-47A-90-DL (DC-3C)
Operador:	Southwest Airways
Registración:	N63439
Numéro de série:	20229
Año de Construcción:	1944
Horas Totales de la Célula:	8132
Motores:	2 Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92
Tripulación:	Fatalidades: 3 / Ocupantes: 3
Pasajeros:	Fatalidades: 19 / Ocupantes: 19
Total:	Fatalidades: 22 / Ocupantes: 22
Daños en la Aeronave:	Anulado
Consecuencias:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Ubicación:	Refugio Pass, CA (Estados Unidos de América)
Fase:	En ruta (ENR)
Naturaleza:	Vuelo Doméstico Programado
Aeropuerto de Salida:	Santa Maria Airport, CA (KSMX), Estados Unidos de América
Aeropuerto de Llegada:	Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, CA (SBA/KSBA), Estados Unidos de América
Número de Vuelo:	7

Descripción:
Southwest Airways Flight 7 originated at San Francisco, for Los Angeles, with stops scheduled at San Jose, Watsonville, Monterey, Paso Robles, San Lois Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, and Oxnard. Departure from San Francisco was 18:00, 15 minutes behind schedule. Flight 7 proceeded in a routine manner and landed at Santa Maria at 20:10. All previous scheduled stops had been made with the exception of the one at San Luis Obispo which was passed over because of local weather. Departure from Santa Maria was at 20:18, 12 minutes behind schedule. Two minutes after takeoff from Santa Maria the flight radioed its on and off times to and from that station and gave an estimated arrival time of 20:39 at Santa Barbara. This was the last radio contact with the flight. The crew should have used the 4000 feet minimum altitude to remain VFR above the clouds, but instead where at 2740 feet MSL in instrument conditions. The aircraft struck the gradually rising slope of a ridge.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The failure of the flight, for undetermined reasons, to maintain the specified minimum en route altitude of 4000ft for the route being flown."

Fuentes:
» CAB File No: 1-0019
» ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No.2, Circular 24-AN/21 (87-89)
Sample newspaper article from Newspaperarchive.com