1954 — Dec 29, USAF C119 rear-door fails, plane crash, Shin Point near New Hope, AL– 9

–9 American Press, Lake Charles, LA. “Dead Identified…Crash…Flying Boxcar.” 12-31-1954.
–9 Galveston Daily News, TX. “Two Fall to Safety; Plane Crash Kills 9.” 12-30-1954, p. 1.
–9 NFPA. “Large Loss Fires of 1954.” Quarterly of the NFPA, Vol. 48, N. 3, Jan 1955, p. 313.

Narrative Information

National Fire Protection Association: “Dec. 29, near New Hope, Ala., U.S. Air Force, C-119, $250,000, 9 killed.

“While flying through bad weather some¬thing happened aboard a C-119 which caused it to crash to the ground trailing flames. Two airmen sitting in the rear of the plane were able to parachute to safety but the nine others were killed in the crash, reached explosive violence after traveling a few feet.

“Conventional fire fighting meth¬ods were used to extinguish the fire in freight cars. Water sprays were used to cool tank cars. Fortunately, none of the LP Gas tank cars was damaged by the explosion, and the only fire involving these cars was at the dome of the leaking car. Vapors con-tinued to burn at this car until 4:30 P.M. Upon examination of the leaking car it became evident that the leak resulted from a broken safety relief valve stem.” (National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1954.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 48, No. 3, Jan 1955, pp. 313-314 in pp. 201-326.)

Newspapers:

Dec 29: “New Hope, Ala. (AP) – An Air Force C-119 flying Boxcar plunged from low-hanging clouds into a mountain near here, and at least six of its 11 occupants were reported killed. The Redstone Arsenal public information office said it had received reports that six men were killed, another was alive, and two bodies were hanging in trees. It was not known immediately whether these were dead or alive.

“The plane was flying to Sewart Air Force Base [Smyrna], Tenn., for an undisclosed field.

“The crash occurred on Shin Point, across the Paint Rock River from New Hope. The scene is about 21 miles southeast of Huntsville in northeast Alabama.

“Mrs. Will D. Davis, who lives n a farm near Shin Point, said a sheet of flame which lit up the countryside accompanied the crash. ‘I’m pretty sure I saw several parachutes and a lot of debris in the sky,’ she reported.

“Military police jeeps and ambulances from Redstone Arsenal were sent to the wooded, hilly area where the crash occurred. Five helicopters also were reported being brought from Sewart Air Force Base to search for survivors.

“Mrs. Davis…[was] in the barn about 7:30 a.m. (CST) when…‘I heard a terrific roaring.’” (Biloxi-Gulfport Daily Herald, MS. “Six Killed in Flying Boxcar Crash.” 12-29-1954, 1.)

Dec 30: “New Hope, Ala., Dec. 29 (AP) — An Air Force courier plane was torn open by a “terrific disturbance” while flying through bad weather today and crashed with a loss of nine lives. Two airmen who were sitting near the rear of the big C119 Flying Boxcar survived although injured when doors at the back of the plane were torn off. Both were wearing parachutes and pulled their ripcords when they fell out. Foster Haley, public information officer at Redstone Arsenal, said nine of the 11 airmen aboard died in the crash.

“Witnesses on the ground said the crippled plane was trailing flame as it plowed into a stony ridge southeast of here.

“The plane was on a regular courier flight from its base at Sewart Air Force Base, near Smyrna, Tenn., to Brookley Air Force Base, Mobile, Ala. It carried a crew of four and seven passengers.

“The big transport struck with a roar and blinding flash of fire, scattering burning wreckage and bodies over a 250-yard area.

“The body of one occupant with a parachute trailing behind it was found smashed on a rock. Other partly opened parachutes around the area told of other vain leaps for life.

“The crash occurred on Shin Hook Ridge of Grassy Mountain, about five miles southeast of New Hope in northeast Alabama. The area is rough, wooded country, with rocks jutting like saw teeth from the steep mountains. The crash site is about 80 airline miles northeast of Birmingham.

“The two survivors and bodies of the dead were taken to Redstone Arsenal at Huntsville, 25 miles to the southeast.

“The injured airmen were identified as Airmen 3.C. Michael P. Kinnane, Seekonk, Mass., and Robert Johnson, Cumberland City, Tenn., both 21 years old….

“Haley said the two airmen related they were riding in the rear of the plane wearing their parachutes. They said they were flying at about 5,000 feet when the plane was jarred by a ‘terrific disturbance’ and the rear doors fell off. Kinnane said he fell out immediately but Johnson was buffeted around inside of the plane and injured to some extent even before he fell into space.” (Galveston Daily News, TX. “Two Fall to Safety; Plane Crash Kills 9.” 12-30-1954, p. 1.)

Dec 31: “New Hope, Ala. (AP)….These dead were identified:

Capt. Leslie D. Ferguson, Antioch, Tenn., pilot.
Lt. William T. Troy Jr., Stamford, Conn.
Lt. Charles Hawkins, Nashville, Tenn.
Airman 1.C. Lawrence J. Foley, Bronx, N.Y.
Airman 2.C. Richard W. Miller, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Lt. Gerry M. Hall, 32nd Air Rescue Service, March AFB, Calf.
Lt. J. B. Border, 3510 Combat Crew Training Squadron, Randolph AFB, Texas.
Airman 2.C. Leon M. McKay, 9th Radio Relay Squadron, Donelson AFB, S.C.
Airman 3.C. Robert A. Shoemaker, 9th Radio Relay Squadron, Donelson AFB, S.C.

Survivor airman “…Robert Johnson, Cumberland City, Tenn. …said…’we apparently hit an iar disturbance which tossed the plane about violently…’

“….The Birmingham Weather Bureau said turbulent air was moving across north Alabama at the time and later issued tornado warnings for the area. A tornado struck near Fort Payne, Ala., about 40 airline miles east of the crash site…” (American Press, Lake Charles, LA. “Dead Identified in the Crash of Flying Boxcar.” 12-31-1954, p. 2.)

Sources

American Press, Lake Charles, LA. “Dead Identified in the Crash of Flying Boxcar.” 12-31-1954, p. 2. http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=108010530&sterm=plane

Galveston Daily News, TX. “Two Fall to Safety; Plane Crash Kills 9.” 12-30-1954, p. 1. Accessed 4-27-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/galveston-daily-news-dec-30-1954-p-1/

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1954.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 48, No. 3, Jan 1955, pp. 201-326.

Biloxi-Gulfport Daily Herald, MS. “Six Killed in Flying Boxcar Crash.” 12-29-1954, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=184461722&sterm=plane+new+hope