1958 — March 27, USAF C-119 & USAF C-124C collide mid-air, near Bridgeport, TX –all 18

— 18 ASN. Accident des. USAF Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, Bridgeport, Tx, 27 Mar 1958
— 18 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 74.
— 15 Baugher. 1952 USAF Serial Numbers. “Douglas C-124C Globemaster .” 10-29-2011 rev.*

*Blanchard note on Baugher: The 15 lives lost were on the Globemaster. Three others were lost on the C-119C.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network:
“….Registration: 52-0981
“C/n / MSN: 43890….
“Fatalities: 15 / Occupants: 15
“Collision casualties: Fatalities: 3….
“Location: 3 km (1.9 mls) NNW of Bridgeport, TX….
“Departure airport: San Antonio-Kelly AFB, TX…
“Destination airport: Oklahoma City-Tinker AFB, OK…
“Narrative: An Air Force C-119 (49-0195) en route from Sheppard AFB, TX (SPS) to
Carswell AFB, TX (FWH) collided in midair with a C-124C Globemaster
II 52-0981. The Globemaster was on a flight from Kelly AFB, TX (SKF) to
Tinker AFB, OK (TIK).”
(ASN. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, Bridgeport, Tx, 27 Mar 1958. 2-17-2007 update.)

Baugher: “Douglas C-124C Globemaster II….981 (c/n 43890) collided with C-119C 49-0195 Mar 27, 1958. 15 killed.” (Baugher. 1952 USAF Serial Numbers. 10-29-2011 revision.)

Gero:
“Date: 27 March 1958 (c.16:15)
“Location: Near Bridgeport, Texas, US

“First aircraft
“Operator: US Air Force
“Type: Douglas C-124C (52-981A)

“Second aircraft
“Operator: US Air Force
“Type: Fairchild C-119C (49-195A)

“Both operating under instrument flight rules and cruising along designated airways, the two transports collided over a very-high-frequency omni-directional range (VOR) station 40 miles (65 km) north-west of Fort Worth, and both crashed in farmland, with the wreckage of 52-981A burning after ground impact. A total of 18 American servicemen were killed in the accident, with no survivors from either aircraft.

“The four-engine C¬124 had been on a north-north-easterly heading and en route from Kelly Air Force Base, near San Antonio, Texas, to Tinker Air Force Base, in neighboring Oklahoma, and carrying five passengers and a crew of 10, while the twin-engine C-119 was on a south-easterly heading and on an intra-state flight from Sheppard Air Force Base, near Wichita Falls, to Carswell Air Force Base, near Fort Worth, with three crewmen aboard.

“The collision was determined to have occurred at an approximate height of 6,000 ft (1,800m), in the midst of an overcast, with a visibility of around 5 miles (10km) but down to zero within the clouds. There was also haze and fog in the area. Whereas 52-981A had been cleared by the Fort Worth air-traffic control centre to maintain 7,000 ft (2,000m), the height at which it collided with 49-195A, which had been assigned to 6,000 ft, indicated that it was in fact flying at the wrong altitude at the time of the accident.” (Gero. Military Aviation Disasters. 1999, p. 74)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Douglas C-124C Globemaster II, Bridgeport, Tx, 27 Mar 1958. 2-17-2007 update. Accessed 1-7-2012 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19580327-0

Baugher, Joseph F. 1952 USAF Serial Numbers. Oct 29, 2011 revision. Accessed 1-7-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1952.html

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.