1970 — Nov 27, Capitol Int. Air (U.S. Military contract) takeoff crash, Anchorage, AK– 47

–48  AP. “Flaming crash at Anchorage kills 48.” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 11-28-1970, p. 1.

–47  Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Alaska (1970 -1979), N4909C.

–47  AirDisaster.Com.  Accident Database.  Accident Synopsis 11271970.

–47  AP. “Pilot Questioned in Anchorage Jet Crash.” Daily Sentinel, Sitka, AK, 11-30-2017, p.1.

–47  Aviation Safety Network. Capitol International Air… 3/26, 27 Nov 1970, Anchorage, AK.

–47  Liefer. Broken Wings: Tragedy & Disaster in Alaska Civil Aviation. 2003, pp. 119-120.

–47  National Fire Protection Association.  Key Dates in Fire History.  1996.

–47  NFPA. U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates By State.”  December 2008, p. 20.

–47  NTSB. AAR. Capitol International Air…Anchorage, AK, Nov 27, 1970. 1972.

–46  AP. “Alaskan crash pilot believed…” News & Tribune, Jefferson City, MO, 11-29-1970, 1.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB: “Synopsis   Capitol International Airways, Inc., Flight C3C3/26, of November 27, 1970, a Douglas DC-8-63F, N4909C, crashed and burned at approximately 1705 A.s.t., following a unsuccessful takeoff attempt from Runway 6R at the Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage, Alaska.

 

“The flight was being operated as a Military Airlift Command (MAC) contract flight from McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma Washington, to Cam Rahn Bay, Republic of South Viet Nam, with en route refueling stops at Anchorage, Alaska, and Yokota, Japan.

 

“The investigation disclosed that the aircraft failed to become airborne during the takeoff run and overran the end of the runway.  It continued along the ground and struck a low wooden barrier, the instrument landing system (ILS) structure, and a…drainage ditch before coming to a stop approximately 3,400 feet beyond the end of the runway.

 

“The aircraft was destroyed in the intense ground fire which developed subsequent to the crash.

 

“There were 219 military passengers (including six dependents) and a crew of 10 aboard the aircraft.  Forty-six passengers and one flight attendant received fatal injuries as a result of the post-crash fire.

 

“At the time of the takeoff, a very light freezing drizzle was occurring at the airport.  Runway 6R was covered with ice with braking action reported as fair to poor.

 

“Following the accident, tire skid marks, degraded rubber and shredded tire casings were found over most of the length of the runway.

 

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the aircraft to attain the necessary airspeed to effect lift-off during the attempted takeoff. The lack of acceleration, undetected by the crew until after the aircraft reached V1 speed,[1] was the result of a high frictional drag which was caused by a failure of all main landing gear wheels to rotate. Although it was determined that a braking pressure sufficient to lock all of the wheels was imparted to the brake system, the source of this braking pressure could not be determined. Possible sources of the unwanted pressure were either hydraulic/brake system malfunction or an inadvertently engaged parking brake.

 

“Recommendations   As a result of this investigation, the Safety Board recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration take the following actions:

 

(a) Determine and implement takeoff procedures that will provide the flightcrew with time or distance reference to appraise the aircraft’s acceleration t o the V1 speed.

 

(b) Initiate action to incorporate in its airworthiness requirements, a provision for fuel system fire safety devices which will be effective i n the prevention and control of both in-flight and post-crash fuel system fires and explosions.

 

“The Board further recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration in cooperation with the aircraft manufacturers and the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, utilize the results of extensive research and accident investigation data to develop and implement major improvements in the design of transport aircraft interiors. Of particular concern are the crashworthiness of galley equipment, stewardess seats and restraining devices, and the flammability of cabin interior materials.”  (NTSB 1972, pp. 1-2.)

 

“History of the Flight   “….In regard to the takeoff, the captain testified…. “At some point after leaving the end of the runway, it appeared to me that the tail was dragging, and I did not see any object in front of me, but it became a little rough, and I felt at this time that I should try to save the aircraft, the passengers, and my own self-preservation was on my mind, and that it would be better if I came t o a stop on the ground rather than becoming airborne… I reduced the power t o off, or pulled the throttles completely off, there seemed to be three different impacts, and at each time I could not control any movement with my arms in the cockpit. The last impact the lights went out.”…”  (NTSB 1972, p.5.)

 

“Two passengers, both U. S. A i r Force pilots, stated that the initial acceleration of the aircraft on the takeoff roll appeared to be slow and that after they had proceeded about 2,000 to 3,000 feet down the runway they began to hear a series of loud reports which they believed were the aircraft’s tires blowing out.  It was their consensus that the aircraft lacked the necessary speed for takeoff and that soon after the rotation occurred the ride became extremely rough.  At about this point, the first of three impact jolts was felt. The nose of the aircraft came down and the engine noise ceased. They reported that all lights in the passenger cabin went out and that a fire developed on the left side of the aircraft before it cane to a stop. Most of the other survivors gave similar accounts of the events that occurred during the takeoff attempt and crash sequence….

 

“None of the flight deck crew heard the sounds or reports described by the passengers or witnesses, nor did they feel any unusual vibrations that they associated with blown tires….”  (NTSB 1972, p. 6.)

 

“Wreckage  Evidence found on Runway 6R showed progressive deterioration of the airplane’s tires during the takeoff run. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway and continued down the extended centerline of the runway, through the ILS localizer facility, and struck the far side of a deep drainage ditch. It came to rest in an upright position approximately 3,400 feet beyond the end of Runway 6R on a heading of about 020’….The fuselage sustained a circumferential fracture near Fuselage Station (FS) 1320. The tail section came to rest about 30 feet from the main fuselage section and rotated 10″ counterclockwise from it. The ensuing ground fire destroyed most of the fuselage and much of the wing structure….”  (NTSB 1972, p. 9.)

 

A dry chemical unit of the airport fire department arrived on the scene within 3 minutes after the crash occurred and initiated the fire-fighting and rescue activities. All airport fire units were operating a t the scene within 5 minutes after the alert. Several minutes after the accident occurred, two fairly large explosions were observed emanating operations from the left side of the aircraft. Subsequent explosions occurred and hampered firefighting and rescue.”  (NTSB 1972, p. 14.)

 

“Survival Aspects Impact conditions were survivable, as the occupied area of the aircraft remained relatively intact and decelerative forces were not of a magnitude to cause incapacitating trauma that would have prevented escape. However, postcrash fire and explosions caused intolerable conditions which prevented the escape of some of the nonincapacitated occupants.[2]

 

“Pathological examination of the deceased disclosed that all of the fatalities, 46 passengers and one flight attendant, were caused by fire or by the inhalation of the products of combustion.  There were no traumatic injuries found that would have caused death.  In only one fatality was there any finding that would indicate a possible degree of incapacitation due to decelerative forces.

 

“The aircraft carried a full load of 219 passengers. O f these passengers, 213 were active duty military personnel and six were military dependents. All of the dependents survived the accident.”  (NTSB 1972, p. 14.)

 

Newspapers

 

Nov 28: “Anchorage, Alaska (AP) — A chartered DC3 jetliner carrying military personnel and dependents crashed, exploded in towering flames and burned on takeoff Friday night, killing 38 of the 230 persons aboard. Three persons were missing, said an Alaska Air Command spokesman who have the death total.

 

“The spokesman said 168 persons, more than 100 of them injured, were counted at a hospital on nearby Elmendorf Air Force Base. He said 11 others were in Anchorage hospitals.

 

“The spokesman said the plane carried 219 passengers and 11 crewmen, one more crewman than given in earlier reports.

 

“A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman in Anchorage said one stewardess was among the dead.

 

“A witness said the plane, owned by Capitol International Airways, was moving ‘two fast to land and too slow to take off’ when it crashed at Anchorage International Airport after refueling and changing crewmen. A survivor said the plane ‘only climbed for a few minutes, then it sort of glided down.’ John Pederson, an airport mechanic, said the plane’s nose dropped, then ran off the runway. It caught fire, he said, and then exploded twice about three or four minutes later….

 

“The flight originated at McChord Air Force Base, Tacoma, Wash. It was to have stopped at Yakota, Japan, as well as at Anchorage, en route to Cam Rahn Bay, South Vietnam. A McChord spokesman said the passengers were believed to be Army and Air Force personnel. A Pentagon spokesman said they included replacements for assignment to units in South Vietnam. Goez [a survivor] said the plane also carried military dependents, including at least one child. They apparently were bound for Japan….

 

“Pfc. Philip Zimmerman of Jersey City, N.J., another of the survivors, said the plane broke up as it crashed. ‘Gas (fuel) was sprayed all over everyone,’ he said….

 

“The crash came after dark in cold, drizzling weather….” (AP/Sturgis. “Flaming crash at Anchorage kills 48. Military Charter Carried 230.” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK. 11-28-1970, p. 1.)

 

Nov 29: “(By the Associated Press). Anchorage, Alaska — the pilot of a chartered jetliner ferrying servicemen to Vietnam apparently was trying to halt his takeoff when the DC8 nosed back onto the icy runway, was jolted by explosions, then crashed and burned, investigators said Saturday [Nov 28].

 

“The Alaskan Command said 46 of the 229 persons aboard were killed in the crash, which occurred while the plane was taking off in darkness and a freezing drizzle from the Anchorage airport.

 

“Larry Campbell, National Transportation Safety Board — NTSB — spokesman in Anchorage, said a series of explosions ‘followed an attempted abort’ as the fuel-laden aircraft strained to become airborne….

“Witnesses said the plane slithered over the slippery runway, up a small mound and across a depression in the earth, cracking into pieces as it came to rest nearly three-quarters of a mile from the runway’s end.

 

“Survivors and witnesses described a variety of small explosions they said occurred as the plane’s nose lifted, then turned downward. At least two explosions of larger size erupted a few minutes after the stricken plane skidded to a stop, one witness said. Another said a blast hurled a ball of fire skyward. Others told of seeing bluish flames of fire in an engine on the plane’s right side prior to the crash, and of what could have been a pressure stall or backfire….” (Associated Press. “Alaskan crash pilot believed making effort to reduce takeoff.” News and Tribune, Jefferson City, MO, 11-29-1970, p. 1.)

 

Nov 30: “Anchorage, Alaska (AP) — A federal official says the pilot of a military charter plane has been unable to tell investigators what caused the DC8 jet to crash on takeoff, killing 47 of the 229 persons on board. ‘The pilot doesn’t know what happened,’ said Rudolf Kapustin, who heads the eight-man National Transportation Safety Board – NTSB – team investigating the Friday night crash…. ‘There is no evidence at this time…of fire prior to breakup of the aircraft,’ Kapustin said. He said Reid described the takeoff as normal….” (Associated Press. “Pilot Questioned in Anchorage Jet Crash.” Daily Sentinel, Sitka, AK, 11-30-2017, p.1.)

 

Nov 30: “Anchorage (AP) — The Alaskan Air Command has released the names of 40 Army and Air Force personnel killed in Friday’s crash of a military chartered DC8 jet. Three Army men were listed as missing and three other names were withheld.

 

“A stewardess, Brigitta Ekelund, was the only civilian among the 47 casualties.

 

“Air Force dead.

 

1. Airman 1.C. James R. Kohles Jr., Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.
2. Airman 2.C. Eugene D. Harker Jr., Camden, J.
3. Jimmy J. Boyles, Royce City, Tex.
4. Sgt. Donald G. Pederson, Portland, Ore.
5. Grady Denby, Sweetwater, Tex.
6. Airman 1.C. Robert W. Dooley, Seattle.
7. Airman 1.C. Kenneth E. Fuller, Ulster,
8. Sgt. James H. Gilmore Jr., Biloxi, Miss.
9. Sgt. Earl Halley, St. Vienna, W. Va.
10. Sgt. Linwood E. Branch, Greenville, S.C.
11. Vincent V. Hendrik, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
12. Airman 1.C. James W. Patterson Jr., Rocky Mount, C.
13. Edward W. Howard, Tampa, Fla.
14. Herbert L. Jones, Ethelsville, Ala.
15. Airman 1.C. David L. Mallery, Waco,
16. Sgt. Luis C. Mendez, Fresno, Calif.
17. Airman 1.C. Joseph S. Mike, Chicago.
18. Airman 1.C. Dennis M. Moore, Boston.
19. Airman 1.c. Steve S. Pogatich, East Chicago,
20. Airman 1.C. George Reyes, Santa Clara,
21. Airman 1.C. Jerry Shores, Camdenton, Mo.
22. Francis J. Turney, Sharon Hill, Pa.
23. Airman 1.C. John S. Vetters, Corpus Christi,
24. Airman 1.C. Paul J. Wolfe, San Diego,
25. 1.C. Maurice H. Briggs, San Jose, Calif.

“Army Dead

1. Charles Echols, Houston, Tex.
2. 4 Elbert Benton, Goldsberg (state not available)
3. William J. Carter, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
4. Spec 4 Michael Kenny, Billings,
5. Timothy Richard May, Carnegie, Pa.
6. 5 James W. Pitts, Mineral Wells, Tex.
7. Spec 4 William W. Riebe, White Bear,
8. Gerald Turner, Sunnyvale, Calif.
9. Sgt. Henry Driver, Ft. Rucker, Ala.
10. Connie Edwards, Holcomb, Mo.
11. Sgt. James L. Tanner, St. Petersburg, Fla.
12. Sgt. Robert Penn, Pacific Grove, Calif.
13. Sgt. Benjamin Washington, Mount Pleasant, S.C.
14. Terry L. Johnston, St. Charles, Mo.
15. Sgt. Jerry Jones, Merritt Island, Fla.

 

“Army missing

1. 4 Jose Bautista, El Paso, Tex.
2. Sgt. Christopher Hall, Sylvester, Ga.
3. Sgt. James A. Sanders, Tucson, Ariz.”

 

(Assoc. Press. “Anchorage Crash Victims’ Names.” Daily Sentinel, Sitka, AK, 11-30-2017, p.1.)

 

Sources

 

Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Alaska, 1940-1949. Accessed 3-3-2009 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/Alaska-1940-1949.htm

 

AirDisaster.Com. Accident Database. Accident Synopsis 11271970. Accessed at: http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/view_details.cgi?date=11271970&reg=N4909C&airline=Capitol+International+Airways

 

Associated Press. “Alaskan crash pilot believed making effort to reduce takeoff.” News and Tribune, Jefferson City, MO, 11-29-1970, p. 1. Accessed 12-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/jefferson-city-news-and-tribune-nov-29-1970-p-1/

 

Associated Press. “Anchorage Crash Victims’ Names.” Daily Sentinel, Sitka, AK, 11-30-2017, p.1. Accessed 12-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-nov-30-1970-p-1/

 

Associated Press (Kent Sturgis). “Flaming crash at Anchorage kills 48. Military Charter Carried 230.” Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK. 11-28-1970, p. 1. Accessed 12-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-nov-28-1970-p-1/

 

Associated Press (Jack Mayne). “Pilot Questioned in Anchorage Jet Crash.” Daily Sentinel, Sitka, AK, 11-30-2017, p.1. Accessed 12-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sitka-daily-sentinel-nov-30-1970-p-1/

 

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Capitol International Airways Flight 3/26, 27 Nov 1970, Anchorage International Airport, AK. Accessed 9-1-2009 at:

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19701127-1

 

Liefer, G. P. Broken Wings: Tragedy & Disaster in Alaska Civil Aviation. Blaine, WA: Hancock House, 2003.

 

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996. Accessed 2010 at:  http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

 

National Fire Protection Association (John Hall, Jr.). U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 31 pages, December 2008.

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Capitol International Airways, Inc., DC-8-63F, N4909C, Anchorage, Alaska, November 27, 1970 (File No. 1-0025; NTSAB-AAR-72-12). Washington, DC: NTSB, Adopted March 29, 1972, 46 pages. Accessed at:  http://www.airdisaster.com/reports/ntsb/AAR72-12.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

[1] The speed at which an aircraft is committed to flight because insufficient runway space remains to halt safely.

[2] “Thousands of gallons of raw fuel which were released when the wing broke loose accumulated in one big pool, reportedly 6 to 8 inches deep, in and around the aircraft.”  (NTSB 1972, p. 15.)