1958 — Nov 12, USAF KC-97 tanker loses engine at takeoff, crashes Isle of Hope, GA–all 11

–11 AP. “KC97 Crash Kills 11 A.F. Crewmen.” San Antonio Express, TX. 11-13-1958, p. 1.
–11 AP. “Seek Clue to Cause of Air-Tanker Crash.” Pasadena Independent, CA. 11-14-1958, p6.
–11 Aviation Safety Network. USAF KC-97 Stratotanker crash after take-off, Savannah, GA, 11-12-1958.

aNarrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database:
“Date: 12-Nov-1958
“Time: c. 14:00
“Type: Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker
“Owner/operator United States Air Force (USAF)
“Registration: [Not noted.]
“MSN: [Not noted.]
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11
“Other fatalities: 0
….
“Location: Savannah, GA. [Actually, Isle of Hope, 10 miles southeast of Savannah.]
“Phase: Unknown [Blanchard – the phase was takeoff.]
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Hunter AFB [Savannah, GA]
“Destination airport: [Not noted.] [An aviastar.org commenter states the plane was going TDY
to England.]
“Confidence rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
“Narrative: Crashed in residential area two minutes after take-off and exploded.”

Aviastar.org. Boeing 377 “Stratocruiser.”
“Ron Curtis…24.02.2017…I was stationed at Hunter AFB Savannah GA from July 1956 until October 1959 A/2C 2nd Field Maintenance Squadron. Does anybody remember the KC97 crash on November 12th 1958 just east of the runway at Hunter. Going TDY to England 11 airmen on board no survivors. I still have the front page of the Savannah Morning News November 13th 1958 and a letter I sent to my parents. I was on a cleanup detail at the crash site…the exact location of the crash between Salcedo Ave and Easy Street. just east of Harrock Hall DR. The nose (emph) came to rest just short of a brick home….”

Newspaper

Nov 13, AP: “Savannah, Ga. (AP) – Eleven Air Force crewmen died Wednesday in the flaming wreckage of a KC97 refueling tanker. The four-engine plane was blazing, witnesses reported, before it descended to treetop level with its doomed crew. It blew apart and fell with a series of deafening explosions in a residential area on the Isle of Hope, 10 miles southeast of Savannah. It crashed a few minutes after a 2 p.m. takeoff from Hunter Air Force Base. Two houses were wrecked. A civilian, working in his garden, was burned severely by burning wreckage. Flames covered the crash area after the taker clipped the tops off several trees and plowed a swath 100 feet wide and 300 feet long into the ground.

“The plane apparently lost an engine, said Maj. Robert H. Reed, Hunter public relations officer. It dumped some fuel, he explained, after taking off in an effort to gain altitude.

“Frightened residents thought the plane would hit a school or a nearby playground, but it crashed half a mile away. ‘As the plane skimmed by,’ said Reva Odorn, Savannah Morning News staff writer, ‘a member of the crew was seen leaning from a window and waving. Many people thought the crewman was waving at the children in the playground to get back – my two youngest were there – but more likely he was waving goodbye to the world. He was dead in less time than it takes to count to ten.’

“Pieces of torn and twisted wreckage from the shattered plane covered lawns in the housing development. The plane, officially called a Strato-freighter, is a propeller-driven craft used primarily for refueling. It normally carries a crew of six.” (Associated Press. “KC97 Crash Kills 11 A.F. Crewmen.” San Antonio Express, TX. 11-13-1958, p. 1. )

Nov 14, AP: “Savannah, Ga. (AP) A team of Air Force investigators sifted through charred bits of metal as they sought to find out what caused the fiery crash of a KC-97 refueling tanker. Eleven airmen perished late Wednesday afternoon when the giant four-engine plane crashed and exploded in a residential area on the Isle of Hope, 10 miles southeast of Savannah.

“The dead and their home towns:

Lt. William L. Bowles 25 Warwick, VA the pilot
Lt. Harold G. Lassen 26 New York City
Lt. Freddie Levine 25 Charleston, SC
Sgt. Warren R. Martin 29 Yakima, Wash.
Sgt. Curtis W. King 37 Waycross, GA
Airman Malcolm Rogers 22 Prattville, AL
Sgt. Lonnie E. Owens 25 Moultrie, GA
Airman Douglas A Cole 23 Washington, IA
Airman John A Boyer 20 South River, NJ
Airman Joseph P. Turner 21 Moultrie, GTA
Airman John M. Scherbak 21 Wallington, NJ

“Officials said most of the men were married and lived in Savannah with their families.

“The plane crashed a few minutes after taking off from Hunter Air Force Base….” (Associated Press. “Seek Clue to Cause of Air-Tanker Crash.” Pasadena Independent, CA. 11-14-1958, p. 6.)

Sources

Associated Press. “KC97 Crash Kills 11 A.F. Crewmen. Big Tanker Blows Apart in Georgia. Plane Crashes into 2 Houses; Civilian Burned.” San Antonio Express, TX. 11-13-1958, p. 1. Accessed 7-8-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-express-nov-13-1958-p-1/

Associated Press. “Seek Clue to Cause of Air-Tanker Crash.” Pasadena Independent, CA. 11-14-1958, p. 6. Accessed 7-8-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/california-pasadena-independent-nov-14-1958-p-6/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. USAF KC-97 Stratotanker crash after take-off, Savannah, GA, 11-12-1958. Accessed 7-8-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/171583