Military

Crashed whilst serving with the 138th Aviation Company. The pilot, US Army Capt. Harry M. Ravenna, and passenger, US Marine Corps Cpl. John C. Keiper, were-on a routine flight from Dong Ha to Da Nang. Keiper while assigned to Helicopter Attack Maintenance Squadron 16, Marine Air Group 16. Their role on this mission is unclear from public record. Ravenna was assigned to the 138th Aviation Company, 224th U.S. Army Security Agency Battalion (Aviation), U.S. Army Security Agency Group, Vietnam. All missions of this agency were-highly classified during the war and secret cover designations (Radio Research Units) were-used instead of the actual unit designations on station lists and reports. The 138th was based at Da Nang. Ravenna filed a VFR (visual flight rules) flight plan, but ran into poor weather conditions. He radioed Dong Ha and requested radar guidance. At 14:30 hours, he passed into Da Nang airfield radar control and radioed, “Lonely Ranger 723, heading 125, at 3,000 feet, estimating Da Nang at 40, request radar. Presently on instruments.” Having trouble bringing him onto radar screen, Da Nang instructed Ravenna to activate his transponder, but this did not improve radar contact, so they asked his location, which he gave as 45 nautical miles from Dong Ha. Da Nang instructed him to re-contact Dong Ha (believing he was out of Da Nang range and still in that of Dong Ha). Ravenna acknowledged the transmission; radio contact was broken, and never resumed. Ravenna and Keiper were-last believed to be in South Vietnam about halfway between Da Nang and the city of Hue. Later investigation concluded that on his present course, had it been followed, Ravenna’s aircraft would have impacted with the side of a mountain in that vicinity. The hostile threat in the area prevented extensive search, and all efforts to discover the status of Ravenna and Keiper have failed.
Crew:
Cpt Harry M. Ravenna.
Passenger:
Cpl John C. Keiper.
Source: http://www.dhc-2.com/cn872.html

The aircraft was used in psychological warfare role. It was fitted with loudspeakers for the delivery of propaganda messages. In flight, an engine failed, forcing the crew to attempt an emergency landing in an open field. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair while all four crew members were rescued.

The crew was involved in a defoliant mission when, cruising at low height, the aircraft was struck by enemy fire. The crew was able to completed an emergency landing 13 km west of Lai Khê. While the aircraft was damaged beyond repair, all three crew members were rescued 25 minutes later by the crew of a helicopter.

While approaching An Khe Airport on a troop transport flight from Hammond, the airplane was too low. The crew was instructed to perform a go-around and the captain increased engine power when the airplane struck trees, stalled and crashed on Mt Hong Kong located few km west of the airfield. All four crew members and 10 passengers were killed while 18 others were injured.

On 7 September, 1966, 65-0281 was the first C-141 destroyed. It blew up while simultaneous hazardous maintenance procedures were being performed. Three maintenance members were killed in an explosion of the Right Extended Range tank. The Wing at McChord had recently converted to the StarLifter. The first aircraft had arrived on 9 August 1966. This aircraft, 65-0281, was the third C-141 to be stationed at McChord, and had arrived on base just a week before, on 29 August, 1966. The maintenance teams had minimal practical experience with the new airplane. It was having multiple maintenance difficulties. The Right Extended Range Tank feel gage was erratic, and the AC "Power On" Light was inop. Two electricians were in the cockpit working on the "Power On" Light. A Maintenance Team Chief was also in the cockpit with three trainees. In addition, he was supervising a maintenance team on another aircraft. The Assistant Team Chief had started de-fueling the Right Extended Range Tank to prepare it for troubleshooting. The other fuel tanks were full. Two additional technicians arrived to work on the fuel gage before the de-fueling was complete. One of the electrical technicians connected testing equipment to the fuel tank but failed to ground it. The other technician plugged an extension cord into the external 115V AC receptacle of the APU. The live extension cord apparently came in contact with the case of the test equipment. Electricity flowed through the case, up the cables into the tank. Due to a short in the coaxial shielding a spark was created within the nearly empty tank. The right wing exploded. The Assistant Team Chief standing under the wing, and the technician on the wing were killed almost immediately. One of the technicians in the cockpit was badly burned while exiting the right troop door into a burning pool of JP-4. He died a few days later. The others on the aircraft received only minor injuries.
Source:
http://www.c141heaven.info/dotcom/65/pic_65_0281.php

Crashed in unknown circumstances at Altamira Airport, killing all six crew members.

Crashed in unknown circumstances in the Niassa Province. There were no casualties but the aircraft was written off.

Shortly after takeoff from Đà Nẵng Airport, while in initial climb, the airplane stalled and crashed past the runway end. Seven crew members were killed were all 24 other occupants were injured, some of them seriously. The airplane was engaged in a troop transport from Đà Nẵng to Saigon. Engine failure is suspected.
Those killed were:
Lt Col David Cleeland,
Maj Clifton Bishop Andrews,
Maj Gerard Martin Kieswetter,
Cpt Jerome Cordell Winters,
Sgt Robert Clayton Morre,
G/Sgt Willis Shepherd Bowman,
Cpl Mickey Ray Grable.

Crashed in unknown circumstances in a mountainous area, killing all 10 occupants.

The crew departed Floyd Bennett Field Airport in New York on a flight to Moffett Airbase, California, with an intermediate stop at Glenview Airport, Illinois, under call sign PE-05. At 2035LT, while cruising at an altitude of 22,000 feet, the crew informed ATC about his position. Shortly later, the airplane entered a spin, crossed the last cloud layer at an altitude of 3,000 feet in a right turn and struck the ground in a 60° nose down attitude at a speed of 800 km/h. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all four crew members were killed. The wreckage was found seven miles northeast of Battle Creek.
Crew:
Lt William E. Xiques, pilot,
Lt John P. Fitzmaurice III, copilot,
ADJ2 Charles J. Lurvey, flight engineer,
ADJ3 Larry W. Battson, flight engineer.