Crash of a Sud-Est Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III in Bangkok

Date & Time: Jul 9, 1969
Operator:
Registration:
HS-TGK
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Hong Kong - Bangkok
MSN:
34
YOM:
1960
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
68
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The approach to Bangkok-Don Mueang Airport was completed by the copilot in poor weather conditions (low visibility and heavy rain falls due to tropical storm) when the ILS equipment failed. It was decided to continue the approach and at an altitude of 700 feet, the pilot-in-command was able to locate the runway lights. At this time, the aircraft was slightly too high on the glide and too far to the left. Once the altitude of 300 feet was reached on descent, the IAS was 127 knots, about five knots above the planned speed. Thus, the copilot decided to reduce the speed to 122 knots when the airplane suddenly lost height. The captain elected to regain control but it was too late. With a relative high sink rate, the airplane landed very hard, causing both main landing gear to puncture the wings. The aircraft came to rest after a course of several hundred yards. While all 75 occupants escaped uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Windshear is suspected.

Crash of a Douglas EC-47P in Ubon Ratchathani

Date & Time: Jun 7, 1969
Operator:
Registration:
43-49547
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
15363/26808
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Ubon Ratchathani Airport, while climbing, both engines lost power. The captain elected to ditch the aircraft into the Mun River located about two km south of the airfield. All eight crew members were rescued while the aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Loss of engine power during initial climb for unknown reason.

Crash of a Lockheed AC-130A Hercules at Ubon Ratchathani AFB: 2 killed

Date & Time: May 24, 1969
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
54-1629
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Ubon Ratchathani - Ubon Ratchathani
MSN:
3016
YOM:
1957
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
13
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
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
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Lockheed EC-121R Super Constellation in Korat: 18 killed

Date & Time: Apr 25, 1969 at 1559 LT
Operator:
Registration:
67-21493
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Korat - Korat
MSN:
4489
YOM:
1957
Flight number:
Batcat 21
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
14
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
18
Captain / Total flying hours:
5583
Captain / Total hours on type:
1109.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
6607
Copilot / Total hours on type:
4388
Circumstances:
An EC-121R, 67-21493, callsign "BATCAT 21" from the 554th Recon Sq, was scheduled for a combat tactical mission out of Korat, Thailand. BATCAT 21 started engines approximately 15:20 and commenced taxi to run-up position at 15:30. After completing engine run-up, the flight was cleared for takeoff by Korat Tower at 15:54 and was advised to contact departure control. BATCAT 21 established contact with departure control and requested information on the position, direction of movement and speed of the thunderstorm cell near the base. Departure control advised BATCAT 21 that the thunderstorm was over the base and extended 20 miles southwest. BATCAT 21 requested a right turn after takeoff and radar vectoring around the thunderstorms. The controller requested the crew to maintain runway heading and indicated that he would vector the aircraft around the thunderstorms. Prior to becoming airborne, BATCAT 21 was advised that he was cleared to turn right to two eight zero degrees. The flight reported airborne at 15:58 and departure control advised the heading was two eight zero degrees and he would radar identify BATCAT 21. This was acknowledged and a short time later the crew requested to make a right turn if possible as it was very turbulent. Korat departure control approved the request. No further transmissions were received from BATCAT 21. The aircraft impacted with the ground gear up, engine power METO. The initial point of impact was in a rice paddy at a ground speed of 221 knots. Indicated airspeed was approximately 150-160 knots. As the aircraft traversed the rice paddies the under part of the wings and the propellers began to disintegrate. A dike separating the rice paddies, 80 yards from impact, started the disintegration of the accessory section of the engines. The right wing then struck a tree stump causing the path of the aircraft to veer slightly right. It continued on this path an additional 30 yards, struck another stump and returned to its original path across the ground, striking a tree with the number 2 engine and exploding 255 yards from impact. The fuselage continued down the rolling hill separating the two rice paddy areas and flipped to the right (the right side of the cockpit being the pivot point), finally coming to rest 300 yards from the touchdown point.
Source: ASN
Probable cause:
At approximately two and one half miles after lift-off and about 500 feet altitude, the aircraft entered a down draft which also was an area of strong wind shear. The aircraft experienced turbulence, but more significantly, the relative wind swiftly changed from a 20 knot head wind to at least a 20 knot tailwind. As the aircraft descended it entered the region closest to the ground where the tailwind was the strongest. Witness reports and wind damage estimates indicate the there was a most likely 60 knot tailwind at the surface when the aircraft crashed.

Crash of a Grumman S-2F Tracker off Ko Samet Island: 4 killed

Date & Time: Mar 16, 1969
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
420
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
329
YOM:
1957
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
While completing a local training mission, the twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea off Ko Samet Island. All four crew members were killed.

Crash of a Douglas A-26A Invader in Nakhon Phanom: 2 killed

Date & Time: Mar 10, 1969
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
64-17673
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Nakhon Phanom - Nakhon Phanom
MSN:
27414
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
While approaching Nakhon Phanom Airport following an interdiction mission, the crew was trying to establish whether the gear was down or not when both engines failed. The airplane stalled and crashed, killing both pilots.
Crew:
Cpt Neal E. Monette,
Maj John V. Callanan.
Probable cause:
Failure of both engines due to fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3 in Thailand: 55 killed

Date & Time: Jan 6, 1969
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
51
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
55
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances in the northeast part of Thailand. None of the 55 occupants survived the crash.

Crash of a Boeing KC-135A-BN at U-Tapao AFB: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 1, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
55-3138
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
U-Tapao - U-Tapao
MSN:
17254
YOM:
1957
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Aircraft flight hours:
6999
Circumstances:
While taking off from U-Tapao AFB, the engine number four lost power. The airplane stalled and crashed in flames near the runway end and was destroyed by a post impact fire. All four crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of power on engine number four during takeoff for undetermined reason.

Crash of a Fairchild UC-123K Provider in Nakhon Phanom

Date & Time: Mar 24, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
54-0589
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Nakhon Phanom - Nakhon Phanom
MSN:
20038
YOM:
1954
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
14847
Circumstances:
The airplane was operating over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in southern Laos when its port engine was damaged by AAA near Ban Namchalo. The pilot aborted the mission and carefully made his way back to Nakhon Phanom where he made an emergency landing. All five crew members were uninjured but the aircraft was so badly damaged that it had to be scrapped.
Source: Chris Hobson.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Beechcraft Queen Air 80 in Damnoen Saduak: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 21, 1968
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
02018
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Bangkok - Bangkok
MSN:
LD-255
YOM:
1966
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The twin engine aircraft departed Bangkok-Don Mueang Airport with four passengers, among them photographers and a crew of two who were involved in an aerial photography mission of a Thai Airways Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle. At an altitude of 10,000 feet, the crew of the Queen Air took position to the left of the Caravelle when the propellers of the right engine struck the left wing of the Caravelle. While the crew of the Caravelle was able to manage a safe landing at Bangkok-Don Mueang Airport, the Queen Air entered a dive and crashed in Damnoen Saduak in the Samut Sakhon province, about 50 km southwest of Bangkok. All six occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Poor judgement on part of the crew while maintaining a safe separation between both aircraft.