Date & Time:
Jul 30, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
Operator:
Registration:
56-3655
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Castle - Castle
MSN:
17404
YOM:
1958
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
9
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
9
Aircraft flight hours:
6089
Circumstances:
The crew departed Castle AFB on a training mission. After completing a simulated emergency descent from FL390 to FL230, the pilot-in-command initiated a sharp turn when control was lost. The airplane crashed on Mt Lassen and was totally destroyed. All nine crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the loss of control was the consequence of the physical loss of the stabilizer which detached during the sharp turn, maybe due to overload.
