Nellis AFB | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

Following a Red Flag exercice from Tinker AFB, the aircraft was returning to Nellis AFB. Upon landing, the nose gear collapsed and the aircraft slid on the runway for few dozen metres before coming to rest, bursting into flames. All 32 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

The nose gear collapsed upon landing for unknown reasons.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130H Hercules in Nevada: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jun 28, 1983 at 1210 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Operator:

Registration:

74-2068

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Nellis - Nellis

MSN:

4694

YOM:

1976

Location:

Nevada

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew departed Nellis AFB in Las Vegas on a training mission consisting of heavy equipment drop. While flying at low height, the pilot initiated a turn when the aircraft stalled and crashed. The wreckage was found in an uninhabited and hilly terrain located about 100 miles northwest of Nellis AFB. All six occupants were killed.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130H Hercules at Nellis AFB: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 21, 1981

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Operator:

Registration:

74-1672

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

4623

YOM:

1975

Location:

Nellis AFB

Nevada

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

During a night approach to Nellis AFB, the crew failed to realize his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground on short final. Upon impact, fuel tanks ruptured and the aircraft came to rest in flames about a mile from the runway threshold. Seven occupants were killed while all others escaped with minor or no injuries. A load of ammunition and grenades caused the aircraft to explode and burn for several hours.

Crash of a Lockheed L-188CF Electra in Salt Lake City: 3 killed

Date & Time: Nov 18, 1979 at 0456 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-188 Electra

Operator:

Registration:

N859U

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Ogden-Hill - Nellis

MSN:

2016

YOM:

1960

Flight number:

3N18

Location:

Salt Lake City

Utah

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

20000

Captain / Total hours on type:

3140.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

3140

Copilot / Total hours on type:

2715

Aircraft flight hours:

41764

Circumstances:

The four engine airplane departed Ogden-Hill AFB at 0445LT on a cargo flight to Nellis AFB on behalf of the USAF, carrying three crew members and 27,552 lbs of cargo. While climbing from 12,000 to 13,000 feet, the flight indicated to Salt Lake departure control that they had lost all electrical power, the flight requested no-gyro vectors to visual flight conditions and clearance for an immediate descent to a lower altitude. During the descent, the aircraft attained a high airspeed and high rate of descent and disintegrated in flight. The three crewmembers were killed and the aircraft was destroyed. The wreckage was dispersed along a path about 1 1/2 miles long on an abandoned airport located about 4 nmi south of the Salt Lake City International Airport.

Probable cause:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a progressive failure in the aircraft's electrical system leading to the disabling or erratic performance of some critical flight instruments and flight instrument lighting while the flight was operating in night instrument meteorological conditions. As a result of these conditions, the flightcrew could not resolve the instrumentation anomalies to determine proper aircraft attitude reference, and became disoriented and lost control of the aircraft. The crew's efforts to regain control of the aircraft imDOSed aerodynamic loads which exceeded design limits of the ahraft and caused it to break up in flight.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing EC-135K Stratotanker near Kirtland AFB: 20 killed

Date & Time: Sep 14, 1977 at 2348 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker

Operator:

Registration:

62-3536

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Refuelling

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Kirkland - Nellis

MSN:

18519

YOM:

1963

Location:

Kirtland AFB

New Mexico

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

7307

Circumstances:

En route from Kirtland AFB to Nellis AFB, the four engine airplane crashed less than three minutes after a night takeoff in a mountainous area located in the Manzano Mountain Range, about 5 miles east of Kirtland AFB. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 20 occupants were killed. After takeoff from runway 08, ATC informed the crew about an insufficient altitude and instructed the crew to turn to the right and gain height. Shortly later, at an altitude of 6,500 feet, the airplane struck the ground and crashed on the slope of a mountain, less than 30 feet below the summit.

Probable cause:

No technical deficiencies were reported on instruments. No structural failure occurred and there was no failure of the electrical system. It is believed that the flying crew neglected the departure procedures due to an intense fatigue and failed to follow the departure and climb track. Investigations revealed that the aircraft rolled to the right to an angle of 30°, causing the right wing tip to struck the ground. The engine n°4 was torn off and the aircraft crashed in a huge explosion.

Crash of a Lockheed P-3A-55-LO Orion near Searchlight: 10 killed

Date & Time: Aug 3, 1970

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed P-3 Orion

Operator:

Registration:

152159

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Desert

Schedule:

Nellis – North Island – Barbers Point

MSN:

185-5129

YOM:

1965

Location:

Searchlight

Nevada

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew departed Nellis AFB in Las Vegas on a flight to Barbers Point NAS, Hawaii, with an intermediate stop at North Island-Halsey Field NAS in San Diego. Few minutes after takeoff, the airplane went through a thunderstorm area and encountered heavy turbulences. The pilot lost control of the airplane that entered a dive, partially disintegrated in the air and eventually crashed in a desert area located 10 miles northwest of Searchlight, Nevada. The airplane was totally destroyed and debris scattered on more that half a mile. All ten crew members were killed.
Crew (VP-17):
Lt Timothy D. Bailing,
Lt Norman L. Johnson,
Ltjg Henry J. McGreevey,
Adj1 Ambrose Ordonia,
Adj1 Johnny D. Shelton,
Atn3 Cletus L. Morrison,
Aw3 John D. Maas,
Aw3 John W. Schmitz,
Aw3 Michael A. Silvers,
Aw3 Bruce E. Weaver.

Probable cause:

The Navy concluded that the aircraft was struck by lightning, but Lockheed determined that the breakup of the aircraft in flight was caused by structural overloading of the right wing from a positive high angle of attack condition. Lockheed concluded that it was the uncontrollable flight and the resultant stresses that caused the aircraft to disintegrate in flight.