Global InformationParadise Airlines Flight 901A information
 A Lockheed Constellation, similar to the one involved in the accident. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 1, 1964 |
| Summary | Pilot error in low visibility. |
| Site | Genoa Peak, Nevada, U.S. (east of Lake Tahoe) 39°00′59″N 119°53′20″W / 39.0163°N 119.8888°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-049 Constellation |
| Operator | Paradise Airlines |
| Registration | N86504 |
| Flight origin | Oakland International Airport |
| 1st stopover | Salinas Airport |
| 2nd stopover | San Jose Airport |
| Destination | Tahoe Valley Airport |
| Passengers | 81 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 85 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Paradise Airlines Flight 901A was a scheduled passenger flight from San Jose Municipal Airport to Tahoe Valley Airport, both within California, USA. On March 1, 1964, the Lockheed L-049 Constellation serving the flight crashed near Genoa Peak, on the eastern side of Lake Tahoe during a heavy snowstorm, killing all 85 aboard. After the crash site was located, the recovery of the wreckage and the bodies of the victims took most of a month. Crash investigators concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the pilot's decision to attempt to land at Tahoe Valley Airport when the visibility was too low due to clouds and snowstorms in the area. After aborting the landing attempt, the flight 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 in an attempt to divert to the airport in Reno, Nevada, and crashed into the left shoulder of the pass. At the time, it was the second-deadliest single-plane crash in United States history, and remains the worst accident involving the Lockheed L-049 Constellation.
The airline involved was a two-year-old company that operated discount excursion flights from the San Francisco Bay Area to Lake Tahoe. After the accident, investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uncovered multiple safety violations by the company and grounded all of its flights. After an unsuccessful appeal by the company, the FAA revoked its operating certificate and Paradise Airlines permanently shut down.