1961 — May 24, USAF Globemaster crash after takeoff, S of Tacoma-McChord AFB, WA– 18

–18 AP. “Fiery Takeoff Crash at McChord Fatal to 18.” Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA. 5-24-1961.
–18 Aviation Safety Network. USAF Globemaster II crash after takeoff ~McChord AFB, WA.
–18 McClary. “U.S. Air Force C-124A Globemaster II crashes near McChord [AFB 5-24-1961].”

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network: “Wednesday 24 May 1961, 02:33
“Type: Douglas C-124A Globemaster II
“Operator: United States Air Force – USAF
“Registration: 51-0174
“MSN: 43508
….
“Crew: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
“Passengers: Fatalities: 12 / Occupants: 16
“Total: Fatalities: 18 / Occupants: 22
“Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
“Location: S of Tacoma-McChord AFB, WA…
“Phase: Initial climb (ICL)
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Tacoma-McChord AFV, WA…
“Destination airport: Lawton Municipal Airport, OK

“Narrative: The C-124 transport plane was returning men who had participated in Exercise Lava Plains at Yakima, WA. It carried an additional truck, jeep and two trailers. The airplane crashed shortly after takeoff.”

McClary: “On May 24, 1961, a U.S. Air Force C-124A Globemaster II, carrying 22 servicemen, loses power immediately after taking off from McChord Air Force Base in Pierce County. The plane crashes into a remote stand of trees, two miles south of the runway, and bursts into flame, killing 18 persons and critically injuring four others. One of the survivors is Master Sergeant Llewellyn M. Chilson, U.S. Army, one of the most decorated soldiers of World War II….

“At 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 24, 1961, Air Force C-124A, No. 51-0174, assigned to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), 63rd Troop Carrier Wing at Donaldson Air Force Base (AFB), Grenville, South Carolina, departed McChord AFB in Pierce County. The transport was en route to Lawton Municipal Airport, Lawton, Oklahoma, with 12 soldiers from Fort Sill, who had been taking part in Exercise Lava Plains at the Yakima Firing Center….

“One minute after takeoff, the Globemaster, at an altitude of about 500 feet, suddenly burst into flames, veered to the left and dropped into a stand of trees in the north end of Fort Lewis, two miles south of the end of the runway. The air traffic controller witnessed the crash and immediately notified the McChord Fire and Rescue Unit….

“By 10 a.m. Thursday morning, May 25, all of the passengers and crew aboard the Globemaster had been accounted for….an Air Force crash probe team arrived at the site to begin the preliminary investigation. The wreckage was contained within a relatively small area, approximately 75 by 250 feet. But the trees had shredded the aircraft into pieces, the largest recognizable piece being the broken tail section.

“A voice recording of the crew’s communications with the control tower during takeoff failed to give investigators any clues as to the cause of the accident. The pilots were apparently unaware the aircraft was on fire before crashing. The pilot’s communications were normal until he reported losing power in number two engine…. The Air Force Board of Investigation, relying heavily on two eyewitness accounts of the aircraft’s final moments, determined the accident was probably caused by a ruptured fuel line resulting in engine failure during takeoff, the plane’s most vulnerable period….” (McClary, Daryl C. “U.S. Air Force C-124A Globemaster II crashes near McChord Air Force Base on May 24, 1961.” HistoryLink.org Essay 8512.)

Newspaper

May 24, AP: “Tacoma (AP) – A fiery take-off crash of a big C124 Globemaster in foggy darkness Wednesday killed six Air Force men, including two veteran pilots, and 12 soldiers homeward bound to Oklahoma. Three Army and one Air Force enlisted men survived. All but one were in critical condition at Madigan Army Hospital.

“The four-engine, propeller-driven transport also was carrying several pieces of heavy equipment as it lumbered off the McChord Air Force Base runway at 2:33 a.m., faltered, plunged into a wooded area and burned. What caused the crash was not known. The C124 was not overloaded. The Air Force said ‘normal communications’ were maintained with the Globemaster during the takeoff and there was no warning of impending disaster….” (Associated Press. “Fiery Takeoff Crash at McChord Fatal to 18.” Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA. 5-24-1961.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Fiery Takeoff Crash at McChord Fatal to 18.” Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA. 5-24-1961. Accessed 10-27-2022 at: https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CKpWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CugDAAAAIBAJ&dq=tacoma%20crash&pg=1801%2C3399880

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. USAF Globemaster II crash after takeoff ~McChord AFB, WA. Accessed 10-27-2022 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19610524-2

McClary, Daryl C. “U.S. Air Force C-124A Globemaster II crashes near McChord Air Force Base on May 24, 1961.” HistoryLink.org Essay 8512. History Link: The free online encyclopedia of Washington State history. Accessed 10-27-2022 at: https://www.historylink.org/File/8512