1955 — Sep 24, five USAF planes crash (11 deaths), one Flying Tiger Line crash (3 deaths)–14

–14 Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. “24-Sep-1955.”

— 7 USAF SC-47D near Burns, WY
— 1 USAF F-84F Thunderstreak 51-17083, 22 miles E of Langley AFB, Hampton, VA.
— 1 USAF F-84F Thunderstreak 52-6517, 5 miles NE of Langley AFB, Hampton, VA.
— 1 USAF F-84F Thunderstreak 52-7029, Chesapeake Bay off Langley AFB, Hampton, VA.
— 1 USAF F-84F Thunderstreak 52-7038, 25 miles NE of Langley AFB, Hampton, VA.
— 3 Flying Tiger Line C-54A (military cargo contract), 1000 miles west of Honolulu, HI.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database [Thunderstreak 51-17083]:
“Date: 24 Sep 1955
“Type: Republic F-84F Thunderstreak…. Owner/operator: USAF ….
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 ….
“Location: 2 mls E of Langley AFB, VA ….
“Departure airport: Langley AFB, VA ….
“Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
“Narrative: Crashed after take-off from Langley AFB, VA. Pilot was killed.”

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database [Thunderstreak 52-6517]:
“Date: 24 Sep 1955
“Type: Republic F-84F Thunderstreak…. Owner/operator: USAF ….
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 ….
“Location: 5 mls NE of Langley AFB, VA ….
“Departure airport: Langley AFB, VA ….
“Narrative: Crashed after take-off from Langley AFB, VA. Pilot was killed.”

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database [Thunderstreak 52-7029]:
“Date: 24 Sep 1955
“Type: Republic F-84F Thunderstreak ….Owner/operator: USAF ….
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 ….
“Location: Chesapeake Bay, off Langley AFB, VA ….
“Departure airport: Langley AFB, VA ….
“Narrative: Crashed after take-off from Langley AFB

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database [Thunderstreak 52-7038]:
“Date: 24 Sep 1955
“Type: Republic F-84F Thunderstreak ….Owner/operator: USAF ….
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 ….
“Location: 25 mls NE of Langley AFB, VA ….
“Departure airport: Langley AFB, VA ….
“Narrative: Crashed after take-off from Langley AFB, VA. Pilot was killed.”

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database [Douglas SC-47D, USAF]:
“Date: Saturday 24 September 1955
“Type: Douglas SC-47D
“Operator: United States Air Force – USAF
“Registration: 43-16145
“MSN: 20611 ….
“Crew: Fatalities: 7/ Occupants: 7 ….
“Location: near Burns, WY
“Phase: En route (ENR)
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Mount Clemens-Selfridge AFB, MI
“Destination airport: Reno-Stead AFB, NV
“Narrative: Crashed during a snow storm.”

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database [Douglas C-54A-15, USAF]:
“Date: Saturday 24 September 1955
“Time: 06:41 UTC
“Type: Douglas C-54A-15-DC (DC-4)
“Operator: Flying Tiger Line
“Registration: N90433
“MSN: 10410
“First flight: 1944….
“Crew: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 5 ….
“Location: 1600 km (1000 mls) W off Honolulu, HI, USA (Pacific Ocean)
“Phase: En Route (ENR)
“Nature: Cargo
“Departure airport: Honolulu International Airport, HI…
“Destination airport: Wake Island Airport…U.S. Minor Outlying Islands
“Flight number: 7413-23
“Narrative:

“While on a cross-Pacific flight from Wake Island to Honolulu, the no. 1 engine stopped. The crew then placed the no. 2 and 3 fuel selectors to the near empty auxiliary tanks. The no. 2 and 3 engines then also stopped, forcing the crew to feather the no.1, 2 and 3 propellers. Full power was applied to the remaining no. 4 engine as the DC-4 descended. Separate attempts were made to restart the no. 1 and 2 engines, but of no avail. When trying to restart the no. 3 engine, the aircraft struck the water.”

Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Investigation Report:

“The Accident

“At 0641, September 24, 1955, a Flying Tiger Line Douglas DC-4, N 90433, operated as Trip 7413-23 (A Military Contract Cargo Flight), en route from Honolulu, T. H., to Wake Island, ditched in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,000 miles west of Honolulu, after a loss of power in three engines. Two of the crew of five survived; one crew member went down with the sinking aircraft, and two others subsequently drowned before the arrival of a rescue vessel the following day. The aircraft carried cargo only.

History of the Flight

“Trip 7412-23 originated at Travis Air Force Base, California, its destination Tokyo, Japan, with scheduled refueling stops at Honolulu and Wake Island. The cargo load of 15,333 pounds was properly secured and distributed relative to the center of gravity. The flight departed Travis Air Force Base at 0958 and arrived at Honolulu at 2211, September 23, 1955, without incident. The crew consisted of Captain A. J. Machado, First Officer W. F. Gin, Copilot R. C. Hightower, and Navigators R. C. Olsen and De. Ventresca….The flight departed Honolulu at 0013, September 24, 1955, on an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) flight plan to Wake Airport…to maintain 8,000 feet.

“Routine hourly position, fuel remaining, and weather reports were made to Honolulu ARTC (Air Route Traffic Center) as the flight progressed and at 0630 control of the flight was transferred to Wake Island ARTC. At 0633 an emergency was declared to Wake ARTC, the flight advising of loss of power in three engines and inability to return to Honolulu. The aircraft was ditched during darkness, at approximately 0641 at position 20⁰’20 N. latitude 175⁰45′ W. longitude. Neither Wake nor Honolulu radio was able to maintain contact with the aircraft; therefore Air Search and Rescue was alerted and an extensive search was commenced using both aircraft and surface vessels. At approximately 13`8 on September 25 the SS Steel Advocate sighted and picked up Captain Machado and Copilot Hightower who were floating in life jackets. The two survivors reported that Navigator Ventresca went down with the aircraft and First Officer Gin and Navigator Olsen died while in the water…. [p.1.]

“Investigation….

“On impact the cargo broke loose and came forward trapping First Officer Gin and Copilot Hightower, who was sitting in the radio operator’s seat. Navigator Olsen opened the astrodome while Captain Machado assisted the two trapped crew members from their seats. The four men left the aircraft through the astrodome. Navigator Ventresca had been in the cargo compartment unsuccessfully attempting to jettison the bulky cargo and before the cabin door could be opened by the crew members who were on top of the fuselage the aircraft sank. Three of the remaining crew members had life jackets on, but Captain Machado could not locate his jacket and states he had none until after First Officer Gin and Navigator Olsen died in the water during the more than 30 hours awaiting rescue. Both survivors, in addition to the injuries received at impact, were bitten repeatedly by sharks during their many hours in the water…. [p. 3.]

“Analysis

“…flight tests proved conclusively that if the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 propellers had been allowed to windmill with the fuel system and engine controls in the configuration described by Captain Machado, the engines would have restarted. The conditions described in the captain’s statement were: Ignition on; fuel selectors positioned on the main tanks for each respective engine; main tank boosts on; mixture auto-rich; cross-feeds off….

“While feathering the three propellers would slow the rate of descent [which the captain did], the action definitely removed any possibility of restarting the engines while in that condition. The separate unfeathering of the propellers and the starting attempts probably consumed more time and altitude than the original feathering may have gained….

“The probability of simultaneous failure of three engine-driven fuel pumps is remote. However, even with the three pumps inoperative, full pressure would have built up immediately, if the fuel selectors had been positioned on the main tanks, each containing approximately 400 gallons, and an electric boost had been used on these tanks.

“It is evident that if the remaining fuel (20 gallons each) in Nos. 2 and 3 auxiliary tanks had not been transferred by First Officer Gin, the loss of power would not have occurred when it did even though the Nos. 2 and 3 fuel selectors were incorrectly positioned for an indefinite period after the loss of power on the three engines.

“If the fuel transfer had not been made, the additional normal flight time would have allowed the captain to make a thorough survey of the fuel situation and then an unhurried routine switching of each main tank to its respective engine. According to six hourly radio reports from the flight prior to the emergency, fuel consumption had been a uniform 200 gallons per hour for the four engines. Each main tank contained 400 gallons at the time of Captain Machado’s return to the flight deck, according to his statemen, and this amount of fuel was sufficient for approximately eight hours of flight. The flight tests also showed that even though the fuel transfer was made and the three engines subsequently stopped, there was more than sufficient time from the altitude of 8,000 feet to restart the engines. The practice employed by the crew in allowing two engines to be operated on one auxiliary tank down to 20 gallons of fuel is considered poor operating practice.

“By reason of the positive results obtained in the flight tests, the Board concludes that the captain’s and copilot’s recollection of events occurring after the loss of power, as described in their statements, was incorrect as to action and/or sequence. This absence of accurate recollection is understandable when consideration is given to the stress of the emergency and subsequent events after the ditching and before rescue.

“Findings
….
“5. Loss of power was experienced in three engines because of the positioning of fuel selectors on empty or nearly empty tanks.

“6. The failure to restart the three engines was due to incorrect technique or improper method of using fuel selectors and associated controls.

“Probable Cause

“The Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the loss of power in three engines due to incorrect fuel system management and faulty restarting methods which resulted in the ditching of the aircraft.” [pp. 4-5.]

Newspapers

Sep 25, 1955, AP (Burns, WY, C47, crash): “Burns, Wyo., Sept. 25 00 (AP) – Seven persons were killed last night when a twin-engine Air Force C47 crashed east of here during a snowstorm. The plane was en route from Stead Air Force Base near Reno to Selfridge Air Force Base at Detroit.” (Associated Press. “Seven Killed in Air Crash.” Oakland Tribune, CA. 9-25-1955, p. 1.)

Sep 26, 1955, AP (Burns, WY, C47 crash): “Burns, Wyo. – (AP) – Investigation of the fiery crash of a C-47 air force plane which claimed the lives of seven men Saturday night [24th] continued near here Monday. Identities of the victims, who were flying from Stead Air Force base near Reno, Nev., to Selfridge Air Force base at Detroit, have not been released by Air Force officials.

“The wreckage was found sitting in a normal landing position in a field about two miles north and one mile east of here. However, a slight indentation in the ground 100 yards behind the charred hulk indicated it struck there and bounced.” (Associated Press. “Investigation Continues of Deadly Crash.” The Independent Record, MT. 9-26-1955, p. 2.)

Sep 23, 2015, Chicago Tribune (Langley crashes): “In a matter of about four minutes on the morning of Sept. 24, 1955, four jets from Langley Air Force Base crashed just after taking off — killing the men who flew them. Newport News resident Thomas Stopski and Bob Boyden, of Florida, were there 60 years ago during one of Langley’s most tragic accidents….

“The now-defunct 511th Fighter Bomber Squadron flew F-84F Thunderstreaks back then. Their mission: fly anywhere in the world with 24-hours notice armed with an atomic bomb. That day, however, was just training: a transatlantic flight to an air base in England equipped with extra tanks of gas, rather than bombs. But a series of unfortunate events — and poor decisions by leadership, as the two veterans tell it — led to disaster.

“Take-off was set for 4 a.m. Leaving that early should have allowed enough time for the 16 planes that were scheduled to make the trip to refuel twice in the air and land in England while it was still light. Stopski was watching from the control tower that day — he would have been flying if he hadn’t been injured in an accident five months earlier.

“Boyden, a first lieutenant at the time, and another pilot, a colonel, were the first two off the runway, separated by just 10 seconds. Boyden said they had been told to expect bad weather at about 5,000 feet. They later found out those readings were taken by a test pilot more than an hour before takeoff. “So by the time we took off, we took scud, little patches of clouds, at about 300 feet, and we had solid overcast at 600 feet,” he said.

“The fourth jet had an issue at takeoff. The pilot managed to get into air by dropping the extra tanks of gas that were overloading the plane, causing a fiery explosion at the end of the runway.

“Each plane carried two 450-gallon tanks inside the aircraft and two 230-gallon tanks outside under the wings — if this had been a mission, an atomic bomb could have taken the place of one of the heavier tanks, the men said. At that weight, the under-powered F-84 required a 10,000-foot runway, but at the time Langley’s was only 6,500 feet, Boyden said. So they strapped jet-assisted takeoff, or JATO, bottles to the belly of the aircraft. “When you got up to 160 knots, which is 200-and-something mph … you’d fire the JATO and it would boost you right into the air,” Boyden said. “Now if anything happened and the JATO didn’t fire, you’re approaching the end of the runway going 200-plus mph, you had no choice, you’d have to jettison the tanks and in a clean airplane, it’d pop right off the ground. Bob Lester, the No. 4 on the roll, his JATO didn’t fire. He had no choice — he dropped the tanks and they blew close to the end of the runway.” Even with zero visibility because of the weather, Boyden said, he knew “something had happened — 1,360 gallons of JP-4 (jet fuel), it just really lit up the sky. Even in the clouds where we were, there was a bright glow.”

“From mobile control, Stopski said he held up the rest of the aircraft, but with just 10 seconds separating each plane, two were already on their way down the runway. Both managed to take off, and turn right out of traffic.

“A general in the control tower gave the order to resume takeoffs. Stopski said he was shocked.

“First Lt. James Henley, who the men called Jim, was the next in line. “I saw his run lights go up and come down, and explode when he hit,” Stopski said. Henley was 24, according to a story published in the Daily Press the day after the accident.

“Then came First Lt. Peter Dolan, 23. He took off successfully, entered the cloud cover, and collided with Second Lt. Harold “Al” Waddell, 24, who had taken off just after the initial explosion and was apparently flash-blinded. Waddell was to be married two weeks after they returned from England, Stopski said.

“The final pilot to take off was Second Lt. Roland Walls. “They don’t know if he had a complete electrical malfunction or what, but his JATO didn’t fire and he didn’t drop the tanks,” Boyden said. “There were tire tracks some 1,600 feet off the end of the runway in the grass.” Stopski said he followed Walls’ running lights up and then down. “I was waiting for the explosion and there was just nothing,” Stopski said. He believes Walls crashed out in the Chesapeake Bay. “To this day, to our knowledge, they’ve never found any of the aircraft or him out there.”

“According to Daily Press archives, Dolan, Waddell and Walls were declared missing for almost a week as crews searched the bay. On Sept. 30, 1955, they were all presumed dead. All that had been recovered was a suitcase belonging to Dolan and a life raft, like those used in the F-84s.

“Boyden said those who successfully made it in the air joined up over Canada for their first refueling, then proceeded to England, where only 11 American bombers landed. “We never knew what had happened until we got to Germany the next day,” Boyden said. “I think they didn’t want to tell us.”

“The underpowered F-84’s service was short-lived. It was replaced after just three years by F-100 Super Sabers….” (Chicago Tribune. ”Two former Langley bomber pilots recount one of the base’s worst accidents.” 9-23-2015.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Investigation Continues of Deadly Crash.” The Independent Record, MT. 9-26-1955, p. 2. Accessed 7-5-2023: https://newspaperarchive.com/independent-record-sep-24-1955-p-23/

Associated Press. “Seven Killed in Air Crash.” Oakland Tribune, CA. 9-25-1955, p. 1. Accessed 7-5-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/oakland-tribune-sep-25-1955-p-1/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. “24-Sep-1955.” Accessed 7-4-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/dblist.php?Year=1955&sorteer=datekey&page=19

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. “Douglas SC-47D, USAF.” Accessed 7-5-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19550924-1

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. “Thunderstreak 51-17083.” Accessed 7-5-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/259189

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. “Thunderstreak 52-6517.” Accessed 7-4-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/259041

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. “Thunderstreak 52-7029.” Accessed 7-5-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/259079

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. “Thunderstreak 52-7038.” Accessed 7-4-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/259035

Chicago Tribune. ”Two former Langley bomber pilots recount one of the base’s worst accidents.” 9-23-2015. Accessed 7-4-2023 at:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/dp-nws-1955-langley-accident-20150923-story.html

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Flying Tiger Line, Inc., DC-4, N 90433, Between Honolulu and Wake Island, September 24, 1955. 3-23-1956. Accessed 7-5-2023 at: https://www.baaa-acro.com/sites/default/files/import/uploads/2017/06/N90433.pdf