Crash of a Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker near Alpena: 15 killed
Date & Time:
Sep 26, 1976 at 0830 LT
Operator:
Registration:
61-0296
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer - Oscoda-Wurtsmith
MSN:
18203/518
YOM:
1962
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
15
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
15
Aircraft flight hours:
6109
Circumstances:
The four engine airplane departed Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer AFB in the early morning on a flight to Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport. En route, the partially disintegrated in the air, entered a dive and crashed in a swampy area located 12,5 miles southwest of Alpena. 15 occupants were killed while five others were rescued.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty but the assumption that the aircraft partially disintegrated in the air following a possible cabin pressurization problem was not ruled out.
