1968 — Jan 17, USAF Stratotanker takeoff plane crash in snowstorm, Minot AFB, ND–all 13

— 13 AP. “Last Survivor of Plane Crash Dies in Texas.” Herald Tribune, Sarasota, FL. 1-28-1968, 9A.
— 13 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. USAF Boeing Stratotanker, 17 Jan 1968.
— 13 Baugher, Joseph F. 1958 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.

Narrative Information

ASN: On a planned flight from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota to Glasgow International Airport, Montana, this KC-135 Stratotanker “over-rotated during takeoff in a snowstorm, stalled and crashed.” (ASN. Accident Description. USAF Boeing Stratotanker, 17 Jan 1968.)

Baugher: “Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker….0026 (c/n 17771) w/o. Jan 17, 1968, Minot AFB, ND. During takeoff in a snowstorm, the pilot over-rotated the airplane, causing it to stall and crash. All 13 on board killed.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1958 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.)

Jan 17: “Minot, N.D. (UPI) — An Air Force jet tanker crashed and burned while taking off in a heavy fog from an icy runway Wednesday [Jan 17], killing a two-star general and 11 of 12 other persons aboard the plane. The surviving crewman was hospitalized in critical condition suffering from burns.

“The victims included Maj. Gen. Charles N. Eisenhart, 53, vice commander of the 15th Air Force and former chief of staff of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Three colonels also perished in the crash. Eisenhart, who with the rest of the men aboard the plane was stationed at March Air Force Base at Riverside, Calif., was one of the Air Force’s most promising and most decorated officers. He was a World War II veteran with more than 8,000 flying hours.

“The KC135 tanker crashed while taking off from fog-shrouded Minot Air Force Base. Its wreckage was strewn over a wide area and a base spokesman said the largest sections remaining intact were the nose and part of one wing.

“The crash occurred about 3,000 feet from the base tower. It was not visible from the tower, a base spokesman said, and investigators were unable to say immediately how high the plane got off the ground. They said it apparently came down and skidded about 200 feet along the field near the runway.” (UPI. “Crash Kills General, 11 Others” The Independent, Pasadena, CA. 1-17-1968, p1.)

Sources

AP (Associated Press). “Last Survivor of Plane Crash Dies in Texas.” Herald Tribune, Sarasota, FL. 1-28-1968, 9A. Accessed 4-9-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sarasota-herald-tribune-jan-28-1968-p-9/

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker, 17 Jan 1968. Accessed 3-2-2009 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680117-1

Baugher, Joseph F. 1958 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision. Accessed 2-23-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1958.html

United Press International. “Crash Kills General,” The Independent, Pasadena, CA. January 17, 1968. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/freepdfviewer.aspx?img=47455451