Zone

Crash of a Lockheed CC-130E Hercules at Fort Wainwright AFB: 9 killed

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1989 at 1900 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
130318
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Namao - Fort Wainwright
MSN:
4124
YOM:
1966
Flight number:
Boxtop18
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
On short final to Fort Wainwright AFB, the airplane lost height, struck approach equipments then an embankment and eventually crashed about 600 feet short of runway threshold. Both pilots and seven passengers were killed while nine other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed. It was engaged in a combined exercice called 'Brim Frost'. At the time of the accident, the OAT was -46° C.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the loss of altitude on short final was caused by the combination of frost accretion and an insufficient approach speed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47D near Curry: 10 killed

Date & Time: Feb 5, 1954
Operator:
Registration:
45-0895
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Fort Wainwright - Elmendorf
MSN:
16898/34155
YOM:
1945
Location:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
10
Circumstances:
While flying in freezing rain, the airplane crashed on the slope of a mountain located about 20 miles north of Curry, in the Denali National Park. Six occupants were rescued while ten others were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-54G Skymaster in McChord AFB: 37 killed

Date & Time: Nov 28, 1952 at 0048 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Fort Wainwright – McChord
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
32
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
37
Circumstances:
The C-54G, assigned to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), 1701st Air Transport Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB), Great Falls, Montana, was inbound from Ladd AFB, Fairbanks, Alaska, carrying 32 American servicemen and their dependents, and a crew of seven. At 0030LT, the pilot, Captain Albert J. Fenton, radioed the McChord air traffic control tower for field conditions and was informed that visibility was approximately three-quarters of a mile. Captain Fenton was directed to execute a wide left-hand turn and descend for a ground-controlled landing from the south. As the aircraft neared the field, a thick fog bank, rising 300 feet high, suddenly developed, reducing visibility to near zero. At 0048LT, Captain Fenton, now on final approach, decided to abort the landing and radioed the control tower that he was proceeding to Malmstrom AFB instead. Minutes later, witnesses telephoned the control tower and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department to report a downed aircraft. The Skymaster crashed into an open field (now Wards Lake Park) approximately one mile north of McChord AFB and one-half mile east of S Tacoma Way between S 84th and S 88th Streets in the unincorporated community of Lakewood. It barely missed the Edgewood Park apartments, 35 four-family units built to ease the military’s housing shortage during the Korean War (1950-1953), and other nearby homes. Several people who saw the accident said the Skymaster was on fire before it crashed. Upon impact, the aircraft broke in two and exploded into flames. Bodies, personal belongings, packages and luggage were scattered around the crash scene for 200 yards. Most of the fire was in the forward section of the fuselage, the tail and aft section remaining almost intact. Some witnesses said they could hear the cries of people caught in the burning wreckage, but were helpless to render assistance. Meanwhile, fire and rescue teams from McChord AFB, Lakewood, and Tacoma rushed to the crash site and extinguished the fires in the fuselage and scattered debris. Using magnesium flares and flashlights, police and sheriff’s officers, firemen, and military personnel searched the smoldering, twisted wreckage, looking for victims. Of the 39 people aboard the C-54G, they found only three survivors: Airman Bobby R. Wilson, age 20, a member of the plane’s crew, Airman Curtis Redd, age 23, and Joseph M. Iacovitti, age 8, both passengers. Wilson, who had third-degree burns, internal injuries, and multiple skull fractures, died at Pierce County Hospital on Saturday, November 29. Redd was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma in critical conditions with third-degree burns, but survived. Iacovitti was taken to Pierce County Hospital in serious condition with burns, broken legs and a fractured neck. He lived through the ordeal, but his parents, two brothers, and a sister died in the mishap, leaving him an orphan and the only surviving member of his family. Three other families were wiped out entirely.
Crew:
Benedict, John H., 20, Airman Second Class
Bentley, Patricia, 24, Airman Third Class
Bokinsky, Joseph H., 24, Staff Sergeant
Childers, Wilber C., 21, Airman Second Class
Fenton, Albert J., 29, Captain, pilot
Harvey, James D., 27, First Lieutenant, copilot
Wilson, Bobby R., 20, Airman Third Class.
Passengers:
U.S. Army:
Coons, Robert F., 22, Corporal
Galloway, Calvin, 18, Private First Class
Hockenberry, Denny L., 22, Sergeant
Hockenberry, Elda M., 21, spouse
Hockenberry, Susan E., 2, daughter
Hockenberry, Denise M., 1, daughter
Lebonitte, Joseph T., 23, Private First Class
Zeravich,Christoph, 24, Corporal
U.S. Air Force
Alsbury, Jack R., 21, Airman Third Class
Cook, Robert H., 20, Airman First Class
Farley, Donna L., 20, (spouse of Farley, Glen D., Staff Sergeant)
Iacovitti, Anthony R., First Lieutenant
Iacovitti, Dorothy E., 31, spouse
Iacovitti, Anthony F., 6, son
Iacovitti, John A., 4, son
Iacovitti, Barbara, 2, daughter
Johnson, Dwight P., 23, Airman Second Class
Morris, George E., 33, Master Sergeant
Morris, Anna D., 28, spouse
Morris, George E., Jr., 3, son
Morris, Geraldine A., 5, daughter
Niemi, Edwin, 35, Staff Sergeant
Parlett, Frederick D., 18, Basic Airman
Pickerel, Robert L., 22, Airman First Class
Smith, Raymond D., 24, Staff Sergeant
Swang, Marion E., 41, Major [incorrectly listed as Swann]
Weikum, Elmer, 23, Airman Second Class
Wells, Samuel R., 35, Master Sergeant
Wells, Margaret A., 33, spouse
Wells, Samuel R. III, 3, son
Survivors
Iacovitti, Joseph M., 8, (son of Dorothy and Anthony Iacovitti)
Redd, Curtis, 23, Airman Second Class.
Source:
http://www.koreanwar-educator.org/topics/airplane_crashes/c54_tacoma_19521128/p_c54_tacoma_11_28_52.htm
Probable cause:
An Air Force crash-probe team, commanded by Brigadier General Richard J. O’Keefe, was immediately dispatched from Norton AFB, San Bernardino, California, to begin sifting through the wreckage for clues to the accident. They wanted to determine why the aircraft was so low as to clip the tops of two fir trees before crashing. One of the aircraft’s four propellers was found 100 yards from the wreckage, sitting upright in the field. The condition of the blades indicated the propeller had stopped turning before it hit the ground. Twelve witnesses, who saw the Skymaster just prior to the crash, said the right wing or an engine was on fire. Captain Fenton had been in constant radio contact with the tower until the final moment, but never reported a mechanical difficulty or fire. Just before announcing his decision to fly to Malstrom AFB, the pilot inquired about weather at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and was told conditions were clear. The Air Force Board of Inquiry determined that as Captain Fenton was on final approach to land at McChord AFB, he boosted power to regain altitude, but the Skymaster’s number three engine failed. In the thick fog, the pilot was unable to see, much less avoid, a line of towering fir trees immediately north of the base. The aircraft sheared off the tops of two 100-foot tall Douglas firs, slammed into an open field and exploded into flames.

Crash of a Boeing B-17G-95-VE Flying Fortress near Talkeetna: 1 killed

Date & Time: Sep 10, 1951
Operator:
Registration:
44-85505
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Elmendorf – Fort Wainwright
MSN:
8414
YOM:
1944
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances ten miles northwest of Talkeetna while on a flight from Elmendorf AFB to Fort Wainwright (Ladd Army Airfield) in Fairbanks. A crew member was killed while six others were injured. The wreckage was removed by Champaign Aviation Museum in July 2011 for use on 44-85813 restoration.

Crash of a Douglas C-54D-10-DC Skymaster in Fort Wainwright AFB: 8 killed

Date & Time: Apr 10, 1951
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
42-72734
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Fort Wainwright - Fort Wainwright
MSN:
10839
YOM:
1945
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The four engine aircraft and its crew were involved in a local training mission consisting of towing a glider. Just after liftoff, while in initial climb, the glider towing rope wound itself around the elevator, causing the aircraft to crash. All eight crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-47D in Kaktovik: 5 killed

Date & Time: Sep 13, 1949
Operator:
Registration:
43-49123
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Fort Wainwright - Kaktovik
MSN:
14939/26384
YOM:
1944
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
On approach to Kaktovik Airfield (Barter Island), while on a supply mission from Fort Wainwright-Ladd Field, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in flames. All five crew members were killed.

Crash of a Boeing B-29F-100-BW Superfortress in Fort Wainwright AFB: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 29, 1947
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
45-21848
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
13742
Crew on board:
12
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Fort Wainwright AFB (Ladd Field), while in initial climb, the aircraft stalled and crashed in flames 3 miles east of the airfield. Nine crew members were rescued while three others were killed.

Crash of a Boeing B-29-95-BW Superfortress in Greenland

Date & Time: Feb 21, 1947 at 0958 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
45-21768
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Fort Wainwright - Fort Wainwright
MSN:
13662
YOM:
1945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew left Fort Wainwright (Ladd Field) on a Top Secret flight over Soviet Union, a mission that should take from 12 to 20 hours. While returning to his base and flying over Greenland at an altitude of 24,000 feet, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and lost his orientation. The pilot was unable to locate his position and informed his base that he was forced to attempt an emergency landing as the fuel reserve was four minutes only. The aircraft crash landed on an icy area located about 280 NM north of Thule Airbase. The crew was rescued three days later and the aircraft christened 'Kee Bird' was abandoned. A team was created in the nineties to recover the wreckage but unfortunately, on May 21, 1995, the aircraft caught fire following a fuel leak and was destroyed.
Crew (46th Reconnaissance Squadron):
Vern Arnett, pilot,
Russel S. Jordan, copilot,
Talbert Gates, copilot,
John G. Lesman, astro navigator,
Burl Cowan, navigator,
Robert Luedke, flight engineer,
Howard Adams, radar observer,
Lawrence Yarborough, gunner,0
Ernie Stewart, gunner,
Paul McNamara, gunner,
Robert Leader, radio operator.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24D-110-CO Liberator near Charley River: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 21, 1943
Operator:
Registration:
42-40910
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Fort Wainwright - Fort Wainwright
MSN:
1987
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
Involved in a test flight (propeller test following maintenance), the aircraft was carrying a crew of five. In the morning, the crew left Ladd AAF located in Fort Wainwright, east of Fairbanks. At around 1100LT, the crew overflew Big Delta and maintained an altitude of 23,000 feet. While cruising in clouds, the number one engine failed. Shortly later, the pilot lost control of the aircraft that entered a spin. During the descent, the captain ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft but only two occupants managed to bail out. Out of control, the aircraft dove into the ground and eventually crashed in a huge explosion near the Charley River. By an outside temperature of -51° C, one of both crew that bailed out landed in a thick layer of snow and tried to find his colleague but without success. For six days, SAR operations cleaned out a large area but did not found any trace of the aircraft nor the five occupants. In extreme cold and appalling conditions, the First Lieutenant Leon Crane made 84 days before returning to civilization and eventually be transferred to his base. All rest of the crew did not survive the accident.
Crew:
2nd Lt Harold E. Hoskin, †
M/Sgt Richard L. Pompeo, †
1st Lt James B. Sibert, †
1st Lt Leon Crane,
S/Sgt Ralph S. Wenz. †
Probable cause:
According to officials, the loss of control was caused by the failure of a Pitot tube while the elevators jammed during the descent, making it impossible to continue the flight in safe conditions.