1958 — Sep 2, USAF C130A Hercules shot-down over Sasnashen, Armenia, USSR –all 17

— 17 Baugher, Joseph F. 1956 USAF Serial Numbers (56-001/956) 11-12-2011 revision.
— 17 Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 74.
— 17 Lednicer. “Intrusions, Overflights, Shootdowns and Defections…Cold War…” 4-16-2011.
— 17 Planecrashinfo.com. “1958…Accident Details…USAF…Sasnashen, Russia, Sep 2…”

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Lockheed C-130A-8-LM Hercules….528 (c/n 182-3136) converted to C-130A-II. Shot down by USSR MiG 17s near Yerevan, Armenia Sept 2, 1958 when aircraft strayed into Soviet controlled Armenia. 17 killed.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1956 USAF Serial Numbers (56-001/956) 11-12-2011 revision.)

Gero: “Date: 2 September 1958 (c.14:00)
“Location: Near Talin, Armenia, USSR
“Operator: US Air Force
“Aircraft type: Lockheed C-130A-II (56-0528)

“All 17 American servicemen aboard were believed to have perished when the highly-modified four-engine turboprop transport crashed and burned about 35 miles (55km) north-west of Yerevan. Some three weeks later, the remains of six airmen were returned to American authorities in Turkey; these were reportedly the only victims found in the wreckage. The US later released the recording of a conversation among Soviet fighter pilots as they attacked the unarmed aircraft, when it was claimed had strayed off course while ostensibly being used to study the propagation of radio waves transmitted by US broadcast stations, at a reported height of 10,000ft (3,000m). More than 30 years later, the true nature of the mission came to light with the release of previously-classified documents. The C-130 had in fact been sent to identify Soviet radar defenses and test their capabilities, and must have been located and shot down not long after passing into Soviet airspace at 22,000ft (6,700m).” (Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters. 1999, p. 74.)

Lednicer: “2 September 1958 A US Air Force C-130A Hercules (56-0528) of the 7406 CSS, flying from Adana Turkey, was shot down near Sasnashen, Soviet Armenia, about 55 kilometers northwest of the Armenian capital of Yerevan by Soviet MiG-17 Fresco pilots Gavrilov, Ivanov, Kucheryaev and Viktor Lopatkov.

“The C-130 was a Sun Valley SIGINT aircraft. The remains of John E. Simpson, Rudy J. Swiestra, Edward J. Jeruss and Ricardo M. Vallareal were returned to the US on September 24, 1958. The remains of the other crew members, Paul E. Duncan, George P. Petrochilos, Arthur L. Mello, Leroy Price, Robert J. Oshinskie, Archie T. Bourg Jr., James E. Fergueson, Joel H. Fields, Harold T. Kamps, Gerald C. Maggiacomo, Clement O. Mankins, Gerald H. Medeiros and Robert H. Moore were recovered in 1998.” (Lednicer. “Intrusions, Overflights, Shootdowns and Defections…Cold War…” 4-16-2011 rev.)

Planecrashinfo.com: Accident Details
“Date: September 02, 1958
“Time: 1400
“Location: Sasnashen, Russia
“Operator: Military – U.S. Air Force
“Route: Survey flight
“AC Type: Lockheed C-130A-II Hercules
“Registration: 56-0528
“cn / in: 3136
“Aboard 17 (passengers: 0 crew: 17)
“Fatalities: 17 (passengers: 0 crew: 17)
“Summary: Shot down by Soviet Mig fighters.” (Planecrashinfo.com.)

Sources

Baugher, Joseph F. 1956 USAF Serial Numbers (56-001/956) 11-12-2011 revision. Accessed 2-21-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1956.html

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

Lednicer, David. “Intrusions, Over-flights, Shoot-downs and Defections During the Cold War and Thereafter.” 4-16-2011 revision. Accessed 2-20-2012: http://myplace.frontier.com/~anneled/ColdWar.html

Planecrashinfo.com. “1958…Accident Details…USAF…Sasnashen, Russia, Sep 2…” Accessed 1-30-2023 at: http://planecrashinfo.com/1958/1958-46.htm