Crash of a Douglas VC-47A on Mt Yale: 12 killed

Date & Time: Sep 24, 1956
Operator:
Registration:
43-48146
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Ent - Hamilton
MSN:
13962/25407
YOM:
1944
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
12
Circumstances:
The aircraft departed Ent AFB in Colorado Springs and continued to the west. After passing over Buena Vista, the airplane hit the north face of Mt Yale (4,328 meters high) and disintegrated on impact, killing all 12 occupants.
Crew:
Col Charles Arthur Miller, pilot,
Cpt James Joseph Richardson, copilot.
Passengers:
Col Frederick W. Ledeboer,
S/Sgt William E. MacKenzie Jr.,
Oscar M. Rupert (civilian),
A1c William R. Carpenter,
Sgt Phillip Lenz,
M/Sgt Helen M. Schuyler,
Cpt David C. Jacobs,
1st Lt David W. Gill,
Sp3 William L. Simpson,
Pvt William R. Rooney.
Probable cause:
It is believed that the accident was the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Boeing B-52B-35-BO Stratofortress near Madera: 5 killed

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1956
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
53-0393
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
16873
YOM:
1953
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
En route, the aircraft caught fire, apparently on a wing. The crew elected to return to his base but control was lost. Two crew members were able to bail out and were later recovered while all five other occupants were killed when the airplane crashed along Highway 99, about 9 miles southeast of Madera.

Crash of a Douglas C-47D at Fürstenfeldbruck AFB

Date & Time: Sep 13, 1956
Operator:
Registration:
44-77285
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
16869/33617
YOM:
1945
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach, the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances one km short of runway threshold. All nine occupants were evacuated safely while the aircraft was written off.

Crash of a Boeing RB-50G-45-BO Superfortress into the Japan Sea: 16 killed

Date & Time: Sep 10, 1956
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
47-133
Flight Phase:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Yokota - Yokota
MSN:
15817
YOM:
1947
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
16
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
16
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a weather mission for typhoon 'Emma' but failed to return to his base at Yokota AFB. The exact circumstances of the accident remains unknown and all 16 crew members have been killed.

Crash of a Douglas C-124C Globemaster II in Palm Beach: 3 killed

Date & Time: Aug 21, 1956
Operator:
Registration:
52-1005
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Palm Beach - Palm Beach
MSN:
43914
YOM:
1952
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was completing touch-and-goes at Palm Beach Airport. After takeoff, while climbing, a technical issue occurred on the engine number two that lost a propeller blade which penetrated the fuselage, cutting several control cables. Engines number three and four stopped immediately, causing the aircraft to bank right and to crash in a tree nursery. Three crew members were killed while three others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Loss of a propeller blade on engine number two.

Crash of a Douglas C-124A-DL Globemaster II in San Salvador: 1 killed

Date & Time: Aug 16, 1956 at 0738 LT
Operator:
Registration:
51-0156
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Patrick - San Salvador
MSN:
43490
YOM:
1951
Country:
Crew on board:
13
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a special flight from Patrick AFB (Cocoa Beach, Florida) to San Salvador Airport in Cockburn Town, Bahamas, carrying supplies and various goods to the locals following the devastation of the hurricane 'Betsy'. The aircraft was preceded by a first C-124 registered 51-0110 which landed safely on runway 28. Its captain contacted the second C-124's crew and advised them to land on runway 10 according to the wind component. During the last segment, after passing over the runway 10 threshold at low height, the captain heard a noise coming from the right main gear and thought he had made a hard landing. He elected to make a normal hard landing recovery when control was lost. The airplane deviated from the centerline to the right and came to rest in flames, broken in two. A crew member was killed while 12 others were evacuated. The aircraft was totally destroyed by a post crash fire. It is understood that a strong cross wind was blowing at the time of the accident.

Crash of a Douglas C-118A Liftmaster at McGuire AFB: 46 killed

Date & Time: Jul 13, 1956 at 1537 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
53-3301
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
McGuire – Stephenville – Lakenheath
MSN:
44672
YOM:
1955
Flight number:
A441/13
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
56
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
46
Captain / Total flying hours:
4183
Captain / Total hours on type:
1137.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1454
Copilot / Total hours on type:
642
Circumstances:
The Liftmaster was engaged in a transatlantic flight from McGuire (Fort Dix) Airbase to Lakenheath, UK, with an intermediate stop at Stephenville. Less than two minutes after takeoff from McGuire AFB runway 24, while climbing, the four engine aircraft encountered poor weather conditions, stalled and crashed in a dense wooded area located 1,4 mile from the airfield. Eight crew members and 38 passengers, among them civilians, were killed while 20 other occupants were injured.
Probable cause:
It was reported that weather conditions were poor at the time of the accident with thunderstorm activity around the McGuire Airbase, a horizontal visibility of 1,500 meters, clouds from 600 to 1,800 feet and wind gusting up to 30 knots with turbulences. The assumption that the aircraft encountered strong downdraft caused by a micro-burst was not ruled out.

Crash of a Boeing KC-97E-45-BO Stratotanker near Goose Bay: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jul 6, 1956
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
51-0220
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Lake Charles - Goose Bay
MSN:
16287
YOM:
1951
Country:
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
One of the engine caught fire while descending to Goose Bay Airport following a flight from Lake Charles, Louisiana. The airplane went out of control and crashed in flames in a dense wooded area located 72 km northeast of Goose Bay Airport. All six crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Engine fire in flight.

Crash of a Boeing KC-97G-26-BO Stratotanker near Walker AFB: 11 killed

Date & Time: Jun 26, 1956
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
52-2700
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
MSN:
16731
YOM:
1952
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
Few minutes after takeoff from Walker AFB, while climbing by night, a propeller blade detached from the engine number two, penetrated the fuselage and pierced a fuel tank. The aircraft caught fire, exploded and crashed in a desert area located 8 miles south of the airbase. All 11 crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
Loss of a propeller blade during initial climb.

Crash of a Douglas C-124C Globemaster II in Enewetak Island

Date & Time: Jun 16, 1956
Operator:
Registration:
51-5183
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
43593
YOM:
1951
Region:
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
On final approach to Enewetak Atoll, the four engine aircraft was too low and struck the ground 400 feet short of runway threshold. On impact, the undercarriage were sheared off and the aircraft crash landed. There were no casualties but the airplane was written off.