Crash of a Grumman HU-16B Albatross into the China Sea: 7 killed

Date & Time: Oct 18, 1966
Operator:
Registration:
51-7145
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Đà Nẵng - Đà Nẵng
MSN:
G-195
YOM:
1952
Flight number:
Crown Bravo
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The aircraft took off from Đà Nẵng in poor weather for a patrol over the Gulf of Tonkin. Using the call signe Crown Bravo, a name that was assigned to the afternoon patrol of each day, the aircraft encountered worsening weather and failed to make a routine radio report. As soon as the weather cleared enough a second Albatross left Đà Nẵng on a SAR mission. No trace of the aircraft or its crew was ever found. The last known position was about 64 km off Đồng Hới.
Crew:
Maj Ralph Harold Angstadt,
1st Lt John Henry Sotheron Long,
Maj Inzar William Rackley,
T/Sgt Robert Laverne Hill,
S/Sgt Lawrence Clark,
S/Sgt John Reginald Shoneck,
A2C Steven Harold Adams.
Source: Chris Hobson.
Probable cause:
It was suspected that the aircraft was lost due to extreme weather rather than enemy action.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130E Hercules near Aspermont: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 12, 1966
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
63-7886
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Dyess - Dyess
MSN:
3957
YOM:
1964
Location:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a night training flight out from Dyess AFB, Abilene. In flight, control was lost and the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in an uninhabited area located in the region of Aspermont. A crew member was rescued while five others were killed.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130E Hercules near Cam Ranh Bay: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 2, 1966
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
62-1840
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Nha Trang - Nha Trang
MSN:
3803
YOM:
1963
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane was returning to Nha Trang following an airlift mission. In unclear circumstances, it appears the aircraft was shot down by enemy fire and crashed 25 km south of Cam Ranh Bay. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Jerome Joseph Smith,
1st Lt James Howard Graff,
1st Lt David Albert Thorpe,
S/Sgt Raymond Lee Wheeler,
A1C Billy Jack Clayton.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar on Mt Pallett: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 30, 1966 at 2115 LT
Operator:
Registration:
53-3195
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
March - March
MSN:
11208
YOM:
1953
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a night training mission out from March AFB, Riverside. While cruising in stormy weather at an altitude of 8,000 feet, the airplane struck tree tops and crashed on the slope of Mt Pallett located 8,4 miles south of Pearblossom. The aircraft impacted the north slope just below the ridge scattering wreckage on both sides of the ridge. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Maj Elvin Estes,
Cpt Norman Gassman,
Cpt Raymond Miller,
S/Sgt Roger DuCharime.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.

Ground explosion of a Lockheed C-141A-LM Starlifter at McChord AFB: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 7, 1966
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
65-0281
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
6133
YOM:
1965
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
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

Crash of a Lockheed C-130E Hercules near Chai: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 6, 1966
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
63-7878
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
MSN:
3949
YOM:
1964
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a supply mission between Vietnam and Taiwan. While cruising in poor weather conditions, the four engine aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 16 km southeast of Chai, in the center of Taiwan. All eight occupants were killed, among them three passengers.
Crew:
Cpt William Shinn,
1st Lt John Bechacek,
1st Lt David Scovill,
A1C Wilbur Adkisson,
A1C Lucious Lunnie.

Crash of a Douglas RC-47D near Hòa Bình: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jul 29, 1966
Operator:
Registration:
43-48388
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Nakhon Phanom - Nakhon Phanom
MSN:
14204/25649
YOM:
1944
Flight number:
Dogpatch 2
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The aircraft was set off for a surveillance mission around the Pathet Lao stronghold of Sam Neua. During the mission the aircraft flew close to (and may even have crossed) the border into North Vietnam. MiGs had occasionally been seen operating close to the Laotian border but it was thought that they posed little threat to aircraft operating in the Sam Neua area. However, a MiG-17 made a high speed dash to the border and shot down the RC-47D before making off deep into North Vietnam. All eight crew members were killed:
Crew:
Cpt Bernard Conklin,
Cpt Robert Eugene Hoskinson,
1st Lt Vincent Augustus Chiarello,
1st Lt Robert Joseph Di Tommaso,
Maj Galileo Fred Bossio,
T/Sgt John Micheo Mamiya,
T/Sgt Herbert Eugene Smith,
S/Sgt James Shreve Hall.
Source: Chris Hobson.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the pilot of a North Vietnam Air Force MiG-17.

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

Date & Time: Jul 24, 1966
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
64-17643
Survivors:
No
MSN:
28671
YOM:
1944
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew was returning to Nakhon Phanom Airport following a strike over Laos. On final approach, both engines failed simultaneously. The airplane stalled and crashed few km short of runway threshold. Both pilots were killed.
Crew:
Maj George G. Duke,
Cpt Miles T. Tanimoto.
Probable cause:
Failure of both engines due to fuel starvation or fuel miscalculation on part of the crew following a long patrol mission.

Crash of a Fairchild C-123 off Cape Lisburne: 9 killed

Date & Time: Jul 16, 1966
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Elmendorf – Nome – Cape Lisburne
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
4
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The aircraft was engaged in a supply mission from Elmendorf AFB to Cape Lisburne with an intermediate stop in Nome, carrying supply for the local weather station. On approach, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low clouds and winds gusting up to 28 knots. Control was lost and the airplane crashed into the Chukchi Sea, about 150 feet offshore. All nine occupants were killed, among them two civilians.

Crash of a Fairchild C-123B-7-FA Provider in Quy Nhơn

Date & Time: Jun 30, 1966
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
54-0644
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
20093
YOM:
1954
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances near Quy Nhơn Airport. All four crew members survived while the aircraft was destroyed.