1972 — May 3, TN Air National Guard C124 crash 40M from Zanderij IAP, Suriname– 11

–11 Aviation Safety Network. Air National Guard C124 Globemaster, Suriname, 3 May 1972.
–11 UPI. “Plane Wreckage Seen in Jungle, Believed Guard Craft.” Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX. 5-5-1972, 6F.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Network, Database:
“Date: Wednesday 3 May 1972
“Time: 18:00
“Type: Douglas C-124C Globemaster II
“Operator: Air National Guard
“Registration: 52-1055
“MSN: 43964 ….
“Crew: Fatalities: 19 / Occupants: 10
“Passengers: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
“Total: Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11
….
“Location: 68 km (42.5 mls) SE of Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport…Suriname
“Phase: En route (ENR)
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Rio de Janeiro (unknown airport), RJ, Brazil
“Destination airport: Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport…Suriname
“Narrative: Flew into a 1716 feet high hill. The airplane operated on a flight from Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil to Memphis, TN, USA with an en route stop at Paramaribo, Suriname.”

Newspaper

May 4, UPI: “Nashville, Tenn. (UPI) – The Tennessee Air National Guard reported Thursday [4th] that a C124 cargo plane with 10 Memphis men aboard was missing and presumed down in Surinam, South America. State Adj. Gen. William C. Smith said the plane was reported missing at 6 p.m. CDT Wednesday when the airport in Paramaribo, Surinam, lost radio contact with the craft.

“The C124 is a four-engine propeller-driven craft with a giant cargo hold.

“It was on approach to the Dan Zandriez Airport in Paramaribo at the time….

“The aircraft, assigned to a Memphis flying unit of the National Guard, departed Rio De Janeiro Wednesday at about 10 a.m. CDT, Pale said. It was on a regular Air Force support mission at the time.” (UPI. “Tennessee Air Guard plane missing.” Daily Facts, Redlands, CA. 5-4-1972, p. 8.)

May 5, UPI: “Memphis, Tenn. (UPI) – The wreckage of an aircraft believed to be a missing Tennessee Air National Guard plane with 11 persons aboard was sighted Thursday in a dense jungle near Paramaribo, Surinam, on the northeast coast of South America. The disclosure was made by Maj. B. Bill E. Burke, information officer for the 164th Military Airlift Group, to which the missing C-124 transport was attached. Burke said his information was ‘spotty,’ but that it was his understanding no survivors had been sighted at the crash scene. Those aboard the missing plane were identified as 10 ‘weekend warriors’ from the local Air National Guard contingent, and one unidentified military passenger.

“The plane, which lost radio contact while on an approach to Dan Zanderig Airport in Paramaribo about 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday, was piloted by Capt. Ellis G. Robertson, 33, who, according to Burke, works as a pilot for Braniff Airways in civilian life.

“The C-124, capable of hauling oversized loads, are [was] departed Memphis for Rio de Janeiro April 28 and was to have returned home next Saturday. Burke said it was on a regular Air Force support mission.

“In addition to Robertson, other guardsmen aboard the missing aircraft were identified as:

Maj. Zachary T. Perkins, 38;
M. Sgt. James E. Haney, 41;
M. Sgt. William L. Peel, 42;
M. Sgt. Louis L. Labart, 49;
M. Sgt. Tillman Kirklighter, 39, and
Capt. Edwin F. Bennett, 32, all of Memphis
….
Lt. Col. Paul G. Sacheklford, 46, and
S. Sgt. Herman D. Davis, 46, both of Coldwater, Miss., and
Maj. Donald T. Finneli, 36, of Tuscumbia, Ala.

“The military passenger was not identified, but it was believed he was en route from Rio de Janeiro to Charleston, S.C.

“It’s standard practice tp pick up military people who need a lift on these flights,’ Burke said.” (UPI. “Plane Wreckage Seen in Jungle, Believed Guard Craft.” Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX. 5-5-1972, 6F.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Network, Database. Air National Guard C124 Globemaster II, Suriname, 3 May 1972. Accessed 7-20-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19720503-2

UPI. “Plane Wreckage Seen in Jungle, Believed Guard Craft.” Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX. 5-5-1972, 6F. Accessed 7-20-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/lubbock-avalanche-journal-may-05-1972-p-62/

UPI. “Tennessee Air Guard plane missing.” Daily Facts, Redlands, CA. 4 May 1972, p. 8. Accessed 7-20-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/redlands-daily-facts-may-04-1972-p-8/