About 4:20 p.m., on July 14, 1977, a 1972 Ford Sedan southbound on U.S. Route 69 about 19.4 miles south of McAlester, Oklahoma, went out of control on wet pavement, crossed the centerline sideways and collided with a northbound Midas Mini Motor Home. All six persons in the sedan were killed; the driver and right front passenger in the motor home were also killed and the six other passengers of the motor home were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a combination of the low skid resistance of the wet road surface and the lax operating maintenance by the owner of the Ford sedan which permitted the use of an unsafe tire and the imbalanced capability of the brake system. A factor contributing to the accident was the driver's unfamiliarity with the mechanical condition of the Ford sedan. Contributing to the severity of the injuries were the failure of the front seat occupants of the motor home to wear the available seatbelts and the failure of the door latch assembly.
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