Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Suffered a ground accident at St Petersburg Airport. No casualties.

The aircraft was completing a flight to Katum, carrying a load of construction equipment. On final approach, the airplane was hit by enemy fire. After touchdown, when the propellers went into reverse pitch, the fuel was sucked up into the engines and ignited. The aircraft veered off runway to the right and came to rest in flames. All five crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was partially destroyed by fire.

The AC-130A gunship operated on a night time reconnaissance flight checking for enemy truck traffic. The crew noticed a convoy and were preparing to attack when their Hercules was struck by two rounds of 37 mm AAA. It was flying near Ban Tabok, 32 km SW of the A Shau Valley at an altitude of 6,500 feet. The hydraulic system failed and the flight crew were not able to used elevator trim, rudder control and autopilot. Using differential engine power the pilot managed to head to Ubon for an emergency landing. Several crew members were ordered to bail out before the landing. The Hercules crash-landed, skidding off the runway. It burst into flames when a wing was torn off after striking the barrier cable housing near the end of the runway.
Source: Chris Hobson

Parked at RAF Mildenhall, the Hercules was stolen by USAF Sgt Paul Meyer who wanted to fly back to the US to join his wife. After a night takeoff, he headed south over The Channel when he lost control of the airplane that crashed into The Channel some 48 km north of Alderney Island. The aircraft was destroyed and the sole occupant was killed. It was reported that the Sgt did not hold any pilot licence and was not authorized to takeoff.

At 12:05 on 18 May 1969 the Marine Corps KC-130F tanker departed Da Nang Air Base on a routine operational tanker mission. The aircraft continued to the Hue Phu Bai Area for the in-flight refueling mission. The tanker had departed its assigned track by and was proceeding toward the ocean before turning southeast to Da Nang. The KC-130F proceeded southbound for the Hue Phu Bai airfield area while refueling two US Marine Corps McDonnell F-4B Phantom fighter aircraft (152270 and 151450). All three aircraft were descending in a "tobogganing" maneuver while heading southbound in the vicinity of the South Vietnam Coastline. At the same time a separate USMC F-4B Phantom (151001) was heading in a generally westbound direction toward the Hue Phu Bai military area. The two aircraft approached each other nearly head on with a closing rate of approximately 700 knots true airspeed. The initial impact by the F-4B was in the vicinity of the number four engine and the starboard refueling pod on the KC-130F. The radome on the F-4B cleared the propeller on the number four engine as the cockpit initially impacted with it. The single F-4B crashed and the pilot and RIO died instantly. The KC-130F crashed into the sea. One of the refueling F-4B's was severely damaged from the initial crash debris. Phantom 151450 plugged into the starboard drogue, was sprayed with fuel and apparently ingested an undetermined amount of debris into both engines. The F-4B aircraft flipped uncontrollably to an inverted position while the drogue and a portion of the hose remained attached to the aircraft. Its engines could not sustain power and the fighter crashed at sea. Both crew members successfully ejected and were recovered. The second refueling F-4B fighter, 152270 was plugged into the port refueling drogue and sustained limited damage in the form of two small holes in the port aileron and a 1/2 inch hole in the starboard wingtip. The pilot observed the spinning tanker, and when it was apparent he could render no further assistance returned to Chu Lai Air Base without further incident.
Crew:
Maj Jimmie Dwayne Sells,
Maj John Clarence Williamson,
MGSgt Carroll Franklin Hersey,
M/Sgt Edmond Chester Polenski,
Sgt Robert Allen Bonebright,
Cpl James Allen Cox.
Source: The Marine Air Transporter

On final approach to Lộc Ninh, the airplane was hit by ground fire. Upon touchdown, several tires burst. The airplane went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest in flames. All three crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.

The crew was engaged in a training mission consisting of a takeoff with two engine inoperative. The accident occurred during takeoff in unclear circumstances. The crew fate remains unknown.

The crew was engaged in a training mission out from RAF Fairford. During initial climb, the captain ordered the copilot under supervision to shut down the engine n°4 and to feather its propeller. For unknown reason, the copilot inadvertently activated the reverse thrust system, causing asymmetric thrust. The airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in an open field, killing all six occupants.

While approaching Ching Chuan Kang AFB in Taichung, the crew encountered poor weather conditions. In below weather minima, the captain decided to continue the approach when the airplane struck the ground and crashed in flames short of runway threshold. Nine crew members were killed while three others were seriously injured. The aircraft was totally destroyed. All three survivors died from their injuries on 14, 15 and 16 of March 1969.

In the morning, three USAF Lockheed HC-130H Hercules departed Clark AFB (Angeles City) on a SAR mission following the sinking of the Japanese ship christened 'Shoka Maru' which was cruising from Japan to Cambodia and sank in the Bashi Canal. While cruising at low height off the Batanes Islands, the airplane struck the top of a wave and crashed into the sea. A passenger was rescued while 13 other occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the crew was flying at an insufficient altitude and the sea was rough with 6 to 10 meters hollows.