Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker

While cruising about 550 km southeast of the Azores Islands, the crew contacted ground and informed ATC about a double engine failure. The radio operator was able to give his exact position before the aircraft was ditched into the ocean. All seven crew members were evacuated safely and the aircraft floated for ten days before it was sunk by the crew of USS Wisconsin.

The airplane was on a refueling mission and departed Westover AFB at 1330LT bound for Griffiss AFB, Rome, New York. Following an uneventful mission, the crew started the descent to Griffiss AFB but was instructed to follow a holding pattern because a fighter that was short of fuel must land immediately. Twenty-five minutes later, while cruising in poor weather conditions (freezing rain and snow), the airplane struck the snowy Mt Big Shanty (701 meters high) located about 70 miles northeast of Griffiss AFB, in the Adirondack Mountain Range. Rescuers arrived on scene in the early morning of January 24. All seven crew members have been killed, among them Maj Charles D. Mellinger, pilot, and 1st Lt Fred Defrench, copilot.

One of the engine caught fire while descending to Goose Bay Airport following a flight from Lake Charles, Louisiana. The airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in a dense wooded area located 72 km northeast of Goose Bay Airport. All six crew members were killed.

Few minutes after takeoff from Walker AFB, while climbing by night, a propeller blade detached from the engine number two, penetrated the fuselage and pierced a fuel tank. The aircraft caught fire, exploded and crashed in a desert area located 8 miles south of the airbase. All 11 crew members were killed.

The crew departed West Palm Beach at 1345LT for a local training mission. After completing several maneuvers, the crew was returning to his base when, on final approach, at a speed of 142 knots, the four engine aircraft struck a 42-foot high light pole. It continued for 660 feet, lost its both wings, broken in two and eventually crashed in a field. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Andrew B. Smernis, pilot,
Cpt Earl Wellington Meredith, Jr., copilot,
2nd Lt Thomas Dee McLeod, copilot,
T/Sgt William Edward McDeid, flight engineer,
M/Sgt John Harold James, panel engineer.

On touchdown, the airplane went out of control and burst into flames. While all 12 crew members were evacuated safely, the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Shortly after takeoff from Castle AFB, while climbing, the aircraft suffered serious technical issues and crashed in a huge explosion about seven miles northwest of the airbase, near the city of Cressey. All ten crew members were killed.

An engine failed in flight. All nine crew members decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in a prairie located two miles north of Fort Myers. Eight crews were found uninjured while one was killed as his parachute failed to open.

Enroute from the US to Europe, while in cruising altitude, the crew sent a brief mayday message, reporting an engine explosion. Shortly later, the airplane went into a dive and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean some 145 km southwest of Reykjavik. All nine crew members were killed.

While conducting a night refueling mission, the aircraft suffered an engine failure. The captain elected to make an emergency landing but the airplane went out of control and crashed in a field located 3,5 miles northwest of Windsor. Nine crew members were killed while two others were injured.