Date & Time:
Oct 27, 1972 at 1330 LT
Type of aircraft:
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
Operator:
Registration:
52-5936
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Lockbourne - Gander - Keflavik - Wiesbaden - Marseille - Athens - Amman
MSN:
11115
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a long flight from Lockbourne AFB (Columbus, Ohio) to Amman, Jordan, with intermediate stops in Gander, Keflavik, Wiesbaden, Marseille and Athens. While cruising in poor weather conditions (stormy weather) to the east of the Rhône Valley, the crew failed to realize he was not on the proper flight track, probably due to strong winds gusting from the south. In poor visibility, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located near the Devès Pass, near Aulan. The aircraft was destroyed and all five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Francis T. Durkin, pilot,
Dale R. Anderson, copilot,
Marion R. Meckstoch, navigator,
William R. Barbor, mechanic,
William L. Champion.
Crew:
Francis T. Durkin, pilot,
Dale R. Anderson, copilot,
Marion R. Meckstoch, navigator,
William R. Barbor, mechanic,
William L. Champion.
