The recorded radar picture for that area was downloaded to the squadron, and another radar technician verified the initial findings. The QRT then assembled preliminary products showing the flight path of the lost aircraft as well as its last known latitude and longitude. Final products included graphs that displayed altitude and rate of descent based on the radar data. The first work day after the crash found the QRT transformed into a full-scale event analysis project. The searchers located the crash site within a quarter of a mile of the initial latitude and longitude that the data analysts provided to the rescue center.
Events demonstrate the importance of radar data in an accident investigation.
Ronald J. Daskevich, USAF, is the plans and operations support flight commander, 84th Radar Evaluation Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah.