1973 – Aug 28, US Air Force Military Airlift Command transport crash ~Hueva, Spain– 24

Pickup in Chronology
–24 AP. “USAF Plane Crash In Spain Kills 24.” The Daily Ardmoreite, OK, 8-29-1973, p. 1.
–24 Aviation Safety Network. USAF Lockheed C-141A-10LM Starlifter. 28 August 1973.
–24 Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 113.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network:
“Date: Tuesday 28 August 1973
“Time: 21:45
“Type: Lockheed C-141A-10-LM Starlifter
“Operator: United States Air Force – USAF
“Registration: 63-8077
“MSN: 300-6008
….
“Crew: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 8
“Passengers: Fatalities: 17 / Occupants: 17
“Total: Fatalities: 24 / Occupants: 25
“Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
“Location: near Hueva, Guadalajara, Spain
“Phase: Approach (APR)
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Athens-Ellinikon International Airport (ATH/LGAT), Greece
“Destination airport: Madrid-Torrejon AFB (TOJ/LETO), Spain
“Narrative:
“The C-141 departed Athens for a night-time flight to Madrid, the first leg of a flight back to McGuire AFB. The crew were cleared for an ILS approach to Torrejon’s runway 23. Weather was reported as 20,000 foot overcast, with 10 NM visibility. During the descent the crew forgot to use the Descent Checklist. Thus, the crew had failed to set their altimeters from 29.92″ to the local altimeter setting of 30.17″. Additionally, they did not turn on the radar altimeter. While at FL60 the crew was given a clearance to a lower altitude. Because of heavy radio traffic, the clearance was garbled. They were not sure if the controller had cleared them down to 5000 or 3000 feet. They agreed that it must have been 3000 feet. They read back “three thousand feet”, but the controller failed to notice the error. When reporting “passing 5000 for 3000” to another controller, the error again was not noticed. Nearing 3000 feet, the navigator noticed a hill ahead and above their altitude, but the pilot reassured him that “everything looks clear ahead”, with the lights of the air base visible in the valley below. At an altitude of 3050 feet, at a speed of 250 kts, the airplane impacted terrain near the edge of a plateau, 40 km east of the Torrejón Air Force Base. It became airborne again, rolled over and crashed into a ravine in an inverted attitude.

“At the time of the accident, the crew had spent only eight of the last 60 hours in bed. Investigators determined that several switches had been left in an incorrect position, indicating the fatigue of the crew.”

Gero:
“Date: 28 August 1973 (c21:45)
“Location: Near Huete, Cuenca, Spain
“Operator: US Air Force
“Aircraft type: Lockheed C-141A (63-8077)

“Operated by the Military Airlift Command, the jet transport crashed and burned 40 miles (65km) east of Madrid, about 25 miles (40km) east of Torrejon de Ardoz Air Base, where it was to have landed, killing 24 persons aboard. Only the navigator, one of the eight Air Force crewmen assigned to the aircraft and who was seriously injured in the accident survived. The passengers included some civilian dependents, but most were also American military personnel. Having nearly completed a flight from Athens, Greece, 63-8077 was cleared by Madrid approach control to proceed to the Torrejon non-directional beacon and for descent to 5,000ft (1,500m). The return transmission from the C-141, ‘Understand…clear to descend to three thousand and Castejon radio beacon’, which contained two significant errors, was, however, blocked out by another aircraft calling the same ground facility. The transport then received authorization for a ground-controlled radar-monitored instrument landing system approach to Runway 23, but simultaneous with its radio message ‘…passing five for three thousand’, the controller was issuing instructions to another military aircraft, an F-4 jet fighter, and hearing from the former only ‘MAC-38077’, requested the crew to ‘Stand by’. Following a 30 second delay, radio transmissions to the C-141 resumed, but it failed to respond, and its target was no longer observed on radar. Cleanly-configured, the aircraft had slammed into a mesa at an approximate elevation of 3,000ft (1,000m), while on a heading of 292 degrees and at a ground speed of around 250mph (400kph), according to its flight data recorder read-out. It then became airborne, and after passing over a ravine it rolled over and crashed inverted. The accident occurred on a moonless night, but the weather was clear, with a visibility of at least 10 miles (15km). The wind was from a north-easterly direction at 11 knots. Evidence indicated that the aircraft’s radar altimeter was functioning, but no conclusions could be made in its barometric altimeter readings. Though the interrupted radio communications undoubtedly factored in the crash, the cause was not disclosed by Air Force authorities.”

Newspaper

“Madrid (AP) – A U.S. military cargo plane carrying several wives and children of American airmen crashed Tuesday night [Aug 28] near Madrid, killing 24 of its 25 occupants. The Air Force said the C141 Starlifter jet was based at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey and was on its way from Athens, Greece, to the U.S. Air Force base at Torrejon, 16 miles east of Madrid. The crash occurred 40 miles east of Madrid. A spokesman at Torrejon said the victims included several women and children from the families of Air Force personnel.

“The Air Force at Torrejon identified the lone survivor as William H. Ray of McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. He suffered multiple fractures of his left leg after apparently being thrown from thee aircraft on impact. The names of the 24 other persons aboard were withheld pending notification of their families. Spanish news agencies said the plane carried a crew of eight and 17 passengers, including several women and children who were relatives of American pilots.

“The plane slammed into the ground about a mile outside the little town of Hueva as the craft was preparing to land at the joint Spanish-American base. Local police said none of the townspeople was affected.

“The Air Ministry said the plane crashed after losing contact with the Torrejon control towr. It exploded when it hit the ground and burned, the ministry said.

“U.S. and Spanish military authorities sealed off the crash site, and American rescue personnel and investigators were sifting through the wreckage today.

“The Air Force said in addition to the people aboard, the place was carrying nearly nine tons of cargo.

“The Starlifter was attached to the Military Airlift Command. The Air Force said it was that command’s first fatal accident since 1965.” (AP. “USAF Plane Crash In Spain Kills 24.” The Daily Ardmoreite, OK, 8-29-1973, p. 1.)

Sources

AP (Associated Press). “USAF Plane Crash In Spain Kills 24.” The Daily Ardmoreite, OK, 8-29-1973, p. 1. Accessed 12-29-2021 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ardmore-daily-ardmoreite-aug-29-1973-p-1/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. United States Air Force – USAF Lockheed C-141A-10LM Starlifter. 28 August 1973. Accessed 12-29-2021 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19730828-0

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.