1970 — Oct 2, USAF C-130 Transport Plane Crash into mountain ~Taipei, Taiwan — 43

–43 ASN. Accident description. USAF Lockheed C-130E Hercules, Cha Tien Shan mountains
–43 Baugher, Joseph F. 1964 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.
–43 Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 105.
–43 Kimura. World Commercial Aircraft Accidents 3rd Ed., 1946-1993, V.1. 4-11-1994, p. 3-99.
–43 Logansport Pharos-Tribune & Press. “Search For Army Plane Continues.” 10-4-1970, 12.
–43 Redlands Daily Facts, CA. “43 killed in plane crash in Taiwan.” 10-8-1970, p. 1.
–43 Redlands Daily Facts, CA. “U.S. plane with 43 aboard missing.” 10-3-1970, p. 1.

Narrative Information

ASN: “….First Flight: 1964….
“Total: Fatalities: 43 / Occupants: 43…
“Statistics…. 3rd worst accident involving a Lockheed C-130 (at the time)
18th worst accident involving a Lockheed C-130 (currently)
2nd worst accident in Taiwan (at the time [accessed 2-26-2012])
6th worst accident in Taiwan (currently)

(Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed C-130E Hercules, Cha Tien Shan mountains (Taiwan), 02 Oct 1970.)

Baugher: “Lockheed C-130E-LM Hercules 0536 (c/n 382-4025, 776th TAS) crashed into mountain near Taipei, Taiwan Oct 2, 1970. All 43 onboard killed.” (Baugher. 1964 USAF Serial…. 1-16-2012)

Gero: “Date: 2 October 1970 (14:07)….
“All 43 American servicemen aboard (37 passengers and a crew of six) perished when the four-
engine turboprop transport crashed 20 miles (301(m) south-south-west of Taipei, about 6 minutes after its departure from the city’s interna¬tional airport, on an internal Taiwanese flight to Ching Chuan Kang. The aircraft, which was operat¬ing under instrument flight rules procedures, made a right turn after taking off and entered a low overcast during its climb-out. Subsequently, it was instructed to ascend to 6,000ft (1,800m) and report when over the second radio fix, but it did not acknowledge this transmission. Wreckage was located nearly a week later, the C-130 having struck a mountain ridge only about 30ft (10m) below its crest, at an approximate elevation of 6,150ft (1,875m) and while on a heading of around 210 degrees, exploded and burned.

“At the time and location of the accident, the visibility was believed to have been zero, with the cloud tops extending to at least 20,000ft (6,000m). Had 64-0536 assumed its planned course, i.e., to a heading of 252 degrees, it would have cleared the terrain along the route by no less than 3,000ft (1,000m). The reason for its deviation to the south, if known, was not disclosed by Air Force authorities.” (Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, 105)

Newspaper

Oct 3: “Taipei (UPI) – A U.S. Air Force plane with 43 American military personnel aboard disappeared in the northern Taiwan mountains in foggy weather Friday [Oct 2]. Bad weather continued to hamper the search today. A U.S. Air Force spokesman said the plane, a four-engine C130E Hercules transport on a routine passenger-cargo flight with no military dependents aboard, was assigned the 314th Tactical Airlift Whig at Chingchuankang Air Base in central Taiwan.

“It took off from Taipei International Airport at 2 p.m. Friday for the airbase and has not been heard from since. It had enough fuel to remain in the air until 6:37 p.m. Friday, although it was on what normally is a 25-minute flight.

“Nationalist Chinese air force officials said the entire northern and central Taiwan area was covered with heavy clouds and fog. Bad weather was continuing today.” (Redlands Daily Facts, CA. “U.S. plane with 43 aboard missing.” 10-3-1970, p. 1.)

Oct 4, UPI: “Taipei (UPI) – Twelve U.S. and Nationalist Chinese air force planes, three of them equipped with cloud-piercing electronic equipment, searched northern Taiwan Saturday for a U.S. Air Force transport plane missing with 43 persons aboard. A U.S. Air Force Spokesman said no trace of the four-engine Hercules was found. It disappeared Friday. The spokesman said the plane bound for the Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in central Taiwan from Taipei was feared lost in the northern Taiwan Mountains.

“He said the search was centered with a radius of 25 miles of the Taipei Airport where the plane took off at 2 p.m. Friday for a 25-minute flight to the air base. The last known radio contact with the aircraft indicated the plane probably went down in that area, he said. The spokesman said the plane was on a routine passenger-cargo flight and all the passengers aboard were military personnel….” (Logansport Pharos-Tribune & Press. “Search For Army Plane Continues.” 10-4-1970, 12.)

Oct 5: “First Lt. Richard G. Thomas, son of County Commissioner and Mrs. Guy Thomas of DuBois [PA], was the co-pilot of a U.S. Air Force transport plane which has been missing since last Friday when it disappeared in the northern Taiwan mountains in foggy weather. Commissioner Thomas and his wife were notified late Friday night…” (Courier-Express, Dubois PA. “DuBois Man Co-Pilot of Missing Air Force Plane.” 10-5-1970, 1.)

Oct 8: “Taipei (UPI) – All 43 American military personnel aboard a U.S. Air Force transport plane which crashed in Northern Taiwan last Friday apparently were killed, Nationalist Chinese Air Force sources said today. They said the C130 Hercules assigned to the Technical Aircraft Wing at Central Taiwan, crashed into a cliff of a 6,200 foot mountain, broke into fragments and fell into the valley more than 1,000 feet below. They said the information came from an observation plane that circled the area this morning.

“An American lowered to the crash site from a U.S. helicopter said there was no sign of survivors, they said.

“The Air Force sources said they were puzzled the plane crashed on Chin Tien (Sky Piercing) mountain that was far to the south of the plane’s course.

“The passengers included these Westerners:

Airman l.C. William H. Uber Jr., Fresno, Calif;
S.Sgt. Larry R. Schwartz, Astoria, Ore.;
Airman l.C. John D. Shivers, Las Vegas., Nev.;
Airman l.C. Edward N. Pastor, Petaluma, Calif.;
Sgt. Robert X. Ramirez Pittsburg, Calif.;
Airman William A. Hunter, Boynton Beach, Calif.;
Lt. Col. Robert E. Lea, Atwater, Calif.,
Capt. James R. Stevens, Yuba City, Calif.”
[First Lt. Richard G. Thomas, Dubois, PA. (Courier-Express, Dubois PA. 10-5-1970, 1.)]
[Airman Daniel Kritzer, 22, Sioux City, IA. (Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. 10-9-1970, 16)]

(Redlands Daily Facts, CA. “43 killed in plane crash in Taiwan.” 10-8-1970, p. 1.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed C-130E Hercules, 1970, Oct 02. Cha Tien Shan mountains (Taiwan), Accessed 2-26-2012 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19701002-0

Baugher, Joseph F. 1964 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision. Accessed 2-26-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1964.html

Gero, David. Aviation Disasters: The World’s Major Civil Airliner Crashes Since 1950 (Second Edition). London: Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996.

Kimura, Chris Y. World Commercial Aircraft Accidents 3rd Edition, 1946-1993, Volume 1: Jet and Turboprop Aircrafts. Livermore, CA: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Risk Assessment and Nuclear Engineering Group. 4-11-1994.

Logansport Pharos-Tribune & Press. “Search For Army Plane Continues.” 10-4-1970, p. 12. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=84027549

Redlands Daily Facts, CA. “43 killed in plane crash in Taiwan [USAF C-130].” 10-8-1970, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=156959457

Redlands Daily Facts, CA. “U.S. plane with 43 aboard missing.” 10-3-1970, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=156959384