Taxiing

While taxiing, the aircraft went out of control, veered off taxiway and collided with a parked Beriev Be-12. Three crew members were injured and a fourth was killed. Both aircraft were destroyed.

During the takeoff roll from runway 30 at Tel Aviv-Lod Airport by night, just before V1 speed, the crew saw an Israel Air Force Boeing KC-97G Stratotanker that was towed across the active runway. The pilot-in-command initiated an immediate takeoff when the left wing struck the Stratotanker. On impact, both airplanes caught fire and exploded. While all three crew members on board the 707 survived, both technicians on board the KC-97 were killed.

While taxiing at Palmdale AFB, the airplane caught fire. The crew immediately stopped then airplane on the taxiway and was able to evacuated the cabin. The aircraft was totally destroyed after 45 minutes of an intense fire. The cause remains unknown.

Without clearance, the copilot released the brakes and began to taxi when the right propeller struck a ground power unit. The airplane was immediately stopped. There were no casualties but the airplane was later considered as damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft was completing a cargo flight from Moscow to Norilsk with an intermediate stop in Amderma, carrying a load of eggs for a total weight of 9,108 kilos. Following a uneventful stopover, the crew was cleared to taxi to join the holding point for takeoff. At the same time, a Soviet Air Force Tupolev TU-128 landed when the right main gear collapsed on touchdown. The Tupolev veered off runway and collided with the Antonov that was 125 meters from the main runway, causing both aircraft to burst into flames. Both aircraft were destroyed and both pilots of the Tupolev were killed as well as five crew members on board the Antonov.

While taxiing at Honolulu Airport, on a flight to Molokai, the pilot-in-command lost control of the airplane that collided with a parked Hawaii Air DC-9 registered N906H. While the DC-9 was slightly damaged, the Viscount was damaged beyond repair and the 14 occupants were uninjured.

Two Ariana Afghan Airlines aircraft collided in unknown circumstances at Kabul Airport. A C-47 registered YA-AAB was damaged beyond repair while a DC-6 registered YA-DAN was repaired. There were no injuries.

The aircraft departed from Cambridge, England, about mid-morning on 9 April 1968, and landed at Benina, where a night stop was made. The flight was continued on 10 April, with landings at Entebbe and Lusaka, where government-owned cargo was unloaded. On 11 April, the aircraft was due to be ferried to its normal base at Ndda, but the Air Turbine Motor (A.T.M) was found to be unserviceable. As the fault could not be ascertained and spares were not available, external power was used for initial engine start and all pre-taxi and taxi checks were carried out satisfactorily. On reaching the take-off holding point, reverse thrust checks were carried out and on returning to ground idle on No. 2 engine, the nacelle overheat light came on. On pulling the fire shut-off handle on No. 2 engine, the overheat light went out immediately. The Flight Engineer carried out a visual inspection of the engine and reported that there were no visible signs of fire. It was assumed that the overheat warning had been due to the tail wind and reverse thrust check, a possible occurrence under the prevailing conditions. A dry motorover was carried out to reduce Turbine Inlet Temperature (T.1.T) and a restart made. All indications were normal and a further reverse thrust check was carried out on engines 2 arid 3. All readinge were normal. The normal checks were carried out, engine run-up and pre-take-off checks made and the Captain briefed the crew regarding emergency in flight procedures. The take-off was completed and the flight to Ndola was without incident and, except for the A.T.M., all systems functioned normally. On approaching -Ndola, the "field approach check and the "pre-landing check" were carried out. According to the statement of the Flight Engineer, all.systems were normal. A normal landing was made, using reverse thrust on all four engines. Towards the end of the taxi run, the First Officer advised the Captain that: "Now we have no ATM". The Captain gave orders to cut engines 1 and 4 when on the perimeter track and the aircraft proceeded on engines 2 and 3. On reaching the parking area, a right turn was commenced to enter the area. Shortly after this point, both co-pilot and engineer claim to have advised the Captain that No. 2 engine nacelle overheat warning light was on. The Captain momentarily considered whether the warning was genuine or spurious, decided to accept that it was genuine and called for No. 2 "Fire T. Handle" to be pulled on No. 2 engine was then shut down. When No. 2 engine was shut down, the aircraft was being marshalled and was commencing a turn to the left and approaching a parked Hercules aircraft, 9J-RBX, approximately 100 ft ahead. It was the intention that aircraft 9J-RCY be parked alongside 9J-RBX. Aircraft 9J-RCY was approaching the port side of 9J-RBX at an angle of about 45°, and was in the final turn to park alongside 9J-RBX when steering and brake pressures became exhausted. The nose wheel castored, this being seen by the ground crew around 9J-RBX, and 9J-RCY straightened up and collided with the port wing of 9J-RBX, No. 3 engine propeller cutting through some 12 ft of the wing. Fire broke out immediately

While taxiing at Habulaya Airport, the airplane rolled over a land mine. The right main gear was torn off and the aircraft came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

Some of the bases in South Vietnam were among the world's busiest airfields during the height of the war in Southeast Asia. The number of aircraft movements at bases like Đà Nẵng and Saigon-Tan Son Nhat Airport equalled or exceeded those at major US and European airports. With the huge amount of activity involved it is inevitable that accidents should sometimes occur on the ground. The worst such accident happened in the early hours of 23 March and involved a Marine Corps A-6, which was taking off from Đà Nẵng on a strike mission, and a MAC C-141 Starlifter. The air traffic controller had cleared the Intruder to take off but also unwittingly cleared the C-141 to cross the runway. The Intruder pilot saw the Starlifter at the last moment and tried to veer off the runway to avoid it but the Intruder's port wing sliced through the Starlifter's nose. The Intruder sumersalted onto its back and continued down the runway. The pilot and navigator miraculously escaped death and crawled through their smashed canopy. The aircraft was carrying 16x500lbs bombs and six rocket packs, some of which later exploded in the fire. The C-141 immediately burst into flames igniting its cargo of 72 acetylene gas cylinders, which resulted in a tremendous explosion. All the Starlifter crew died except the loadmaster who managed to escape from one of the aft doors before the aircraft exploded. The identity of the crewmen who survived remains unknown.
Crew:
Cpt Harold Leland Hale,
Cpt Leroy Edward Leonard,
Cpt Max Paul Starkel,
S/Sgt Alanson Garland Bynum,
S/Sgt Alfred Funck.
Source: Chris Hobson