Date & Time:
Sep 26, 1976 at 0830 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
Operator:
Registration:
61-0296
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer - Oscoda-Wurtsmith
MSN:
18203/518
YOM:
1962
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
15
Pax fatalities:
12
Other fatalities:
0
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.
