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Complete autopsies, including toxicological and histological examinations, were performed on all three bodies. Abrasions and contusions in the anterior iliac (lap) regions were found on all three bodies. The pathologist stated "they apparently represent belt marks." Toxicological examinations conducted by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology did not reveal anything which could have contributed to the accident. The injuries noted caused no internal damage to produce death. The higher salt content on the left side of the heart indicated that salt water was taken into the lungs. Autopsy reports listed exposure and drowning as the cause of death in all three cases. The saline solution and water temperature of Great Salt Lake at the time of the accident were about 27 percent and 24 degrees F., respectively
The wreckage of N 2703 was located by a Navy search aircraft on January 23, approximately 15 miles west of the Salt Lake City Municipal Airport and 6 miles offshore. The water depth in this area is about 25 feet.
The aircraft struck the lake on a westerly heading, and its wreckage was strewn on the lake bottom over an area about 450 feet long by 250 feet wide. Inclement weather and the lack of suitable salvaging equipment hampered recovery of the wreckage which was not concluded until February 9, 1963. An estimated 97 percent of the wreckage was recovered and was taken to a hangar at Hill Air Force Base at Clearfield, Utah, where it was examined.
Impact compression folds in the fuselage nose and the separation of the lower skin and structure revealed the attitude of the aircraft to be approximately 11 degrees nose-down at time of impact. The aircraft structure and its control systems manifested no failure or jamming prior to impact. There was no evidence of inflight fire or collision with any foreign objects, internal explosion or decompression. The landing gear uplock mechanisms were intact and the downlock mechanisms were destroyed at impact. The wing flap actuators were in the fully extended position (flaps fully down} at impact.
The engines were completely disassembled at Hill Air Force Base. There was no sign of operational distress in either engine. There was evidence of low rotational speeds with correspondingly low shaft horsepower on both engines at time of impact. Fuel was found in the fuel systems of both engines. The levers on the propeller control units and flow control units, interconnected with the high pressure fuel cocks, were found in the "run" and "open" positions, respectively. The throttle controls on the propeller controller units and flow control units were all found in the one-third open position. Fuel samples were taken at the last refueling stop of N 2703 from the storage tank and the refueler truck at Boise, Idaho. These samples were analyzed at the Shell Oil Company Anacortes Refinery Laboratory, Washington, under Board observation. The samples conformed in all respects to the specification requirements for Aero Shell Turbine Fuel 640. No significant contamination was found.
Teardown examination of the propeller assemblies under Board supervision revealed no indication of failure prior to impact.
Angular measurements of the elongation of the location dowel hole on bottom bearing plates were obtained and revealed that the propeller blade angles of both propellers were slightly greater than the fine-pitch (low-pitch) limit of 20.8 degrees.
