1959 — May 20, USAF C-130 Hercules plane crash into Barracks, Ashiya US AB, Japan–10

— 10 ASN. Accident description. USAF Lockheed C-130A Hercules Ashiya AB Japan 5-20-59
— 10 Baugher, Joseph F. 1956 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-21-2012 revision.
— 10 Pacific Stars and Stripes. “Ashiya Death Toll up to 10; Pilot Gave Life…” 5-23-1959, 24.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network: “….First flight: 1958.” (ASN. Accident Description. United States Air Force Lockheed C-130A Hercules Ashiya AB 20 May 1959.)

Baugher: “Lockheed C-130A-45-LM Hercules….468 (c/n 182-3175) crashed on takeoff at Ashiya, Japan May 20, 1959. 1 crew killed, plus 9 on the ground.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1956 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-21-2012 revision.)

Newspaper

May 20, United Press International: “Fukuoka, Japan, May 20 (UPI) — A crippled U. S. Air Force jet prop air freighter crashed into an Air Force barracks at Ashiya Air Base on landing today, killing six men and injuring 13. One of the eight men aboard the plane was killed and seven injured. Five men in the barracks died and six were injured when the huge four-engine C130 Hercules overran the runway and plunged into the barracks.

“The barracks, built in an “E” shape, were set afire by the exploding plane and destroyed. The buildings belonged to the 483rd Flightline Maintenance Squadron at the base outside this south Japanese city.

“An airman second class was credited with saving the lives of fellow airmen aboard the plane. He stood at the door of the burning plane, slapping his friends on the back and urging them to hurry. ‘If it wasn’t for this guy,’ said one of the survivors, ‘we wouldn’t have made it.’….

“One of the plane’s engines was disabled when it crashed at 5:29 p.m. (2:29 a.m. MST). Fires burned for several hours afterward.

“An Air Force spokesman said all but three of the between 175 and 225 men housed in the barracks had been accounted for….

“The plane was returning from a flight to Iwo Jima when it overshot the runway. It was trying to pull up for a second landing attempt when it crashed….” (Albuquerque Tribune, NM. “Big Air Freighter Hits Barracks; Six Servicemen Killed.” 5-20-1959, p. 1.)

May 21: “Ashiya AB, Japan – A crippled Air Force C-130 Hercules turboprop cargo plane crashed into a barracks here Wednesday, killing at least seven airmen and injuring 13 others, two critically.

“The crash occurred at 5:29 p.m. when the $2.5 million transport tried to rise from the airfield after making a faulty landing attempt with one of its four engines dead. Eyewitnesses said the giant plane swerved to the left and struck a two-story E-shaped barracks of the 483rd Flight Line Maintenance Sq. The plane spurted gasoline onto the barracks, which exploded into a fiery inferno.

“Six of the dead were in the barracks at the time of the accident, as were six of the injured. Of the eight crewmen aboard the plane, one was killed and seven were injured.

“A grim search continued into Thursday for more possible victims at this northern Kyushu air base.

“An Air Force spokesman said that, fortunately, most of the men from the barracks were at the mess hall having their evening meal at the time of the accident.

“Col. LeRoy Stanton, Ashiya base commander, ordered a head count of all units on the base to determine the exact number of casualties. At least three men assigned to the destroyed barracks were missing, but Air Force officials said the men may be off the base.

“The C-130, belonging to the 483rd Troop Carrier Wg. Based here, was returning to Ashiya from a routine flight to Iwo Jima.

“Witnesses said the transport appeared to have landed too far down the runway then attempted to take-off for another try when it went out of control.

“An operations officer said the pilot apparently hit the barracks in an effort to avoid a nearby Japanese town. ‘The pilot in the usual flight pattern would have turned to the right when attempting to make another landing,’ the officer said. ‘But the pilot of the C-130 turned left. He did that to avoid Ashiyamachi — with a population of 30,000.’

“The plane slammed into the barracks, caromed off and hit the ground approximately 100 feet beyond the building. Flames, fed by fuel from the aircraft’s ruptured tanks, shot uncontrolled from the building while firemen fought a desperate losing battle.

“Nearby airmen quickly mobilized to carry dead and injured to ambulances. One senior Air Force master sergeant screamed, ‘Damn it. This is the worst I’ve ever seen. This is hell.’

“One unidentified airman narrowly escaped from his first floor room in the barracks. ‘I saw the plane coming,’ he said, ‘and I opened the window and leaped out.’

“Loadmaster on the aircraft, A/2C James V. Farrel of Levittown, N.Y., reportedly risked his life to guide his fellow crewmembers from the burning transport…. `I was in the cockpit when the plane crashed,’ Farrel related. ‘I found., a hole and went through. The others followed me. ‘It was such a mess and I didn’t know where we were because we got slammed around. When 1 saw dirt, I dove for it.’….

“Maj. William 0. Roundtree, a burn specialist, was flown to Ashiya from Tachikawa AB to provide specialized treatment….

“A board of investigation convened Thursday morning to probe the cause of the disaster. An Air Force spokesman said the C-130 was the first aircraft of its type to crash in Japan.

“The accident occurred as Ashiya AB planned to conduct the Ashiya Cavalcade of Safety on Memorial Day, May 30, marking two years of flying at the base without an accident.” (Pacific Stars and Stripes. “Barracks Burn. C-130 Kills 7 at Ashiya.” 5-21-1959, p. 1.)

May 23: “Ashiya AB, Japan – Air Force Maj. David P. Currey may have sacrificed his life to save a Japanese town of 30,000 persons from disaster when his C-130 Hercules transport crashed here Wednesday, eyewitness accounts indicated. The Air Force announced that Currey, commander of the Hq. Sq. Section of the 483rd Troop Carrier Wg. Here, died at the controls of the huge plane when it crashed into a barracks.

“The death toll climbed to 10, meanwhile, as two persons previously listed as critically injured died at Tachikawa AB Hospital….” (Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo. “Ashiya Death Toll up to 10; Pilot Gave Life to Save Town.” 5-23-1959, p. 24.)

Sources

Albuquerque Tribune, NM. “Big Air Freighter Hits Barracks; Six Servicemen Killed.” 5-20-1959, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=51938358

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Accident Description. United States Air Force Lockheed C-130A Hercules Ashiya AB 20 May 1959. Accessed 12-14-2022 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19590520-0

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

Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “Ashiya Death Toll up to 10; Pilot Gave Life to Save Town.” 5-23-1959, 24. http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=141690927

Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo Japan. “Barracks Burn. C-130 Kills 7 at Ashiya.” 5-21-1959, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133176329