1975 — March 20, USAF transport plane crash, Olympic Nat. Park, Mt. Constance, WA-16

— 16 Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Washington.
— 16 Baugher, Joseph F. 1964 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.
— 16 Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 117.
— 16 Hansen. C-141 Lifetime Mishap Summary. October 1, 2004.
— 16 McClary. “U.S. Air Force C-141A Starlifter crashes into Mount Constance…” Historylink.org.

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Lockheed C-141A-20-LM Starlifter…0641 (c/n 300-6054, 62 MAW) crashed into high ground on Hurricane Ridge, WA Mar 20, 1975 while on approach to McChord AFB due to use of improper R/T procedures by controller. 16 killed.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1964 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.)

Gero: “Flown by the Military Airlift Command, the jet transport [Lockheed C-141A; 64-641] crashed, exploded and burned in Olympic National Park around 25 miles…south-south-east of Port Angeles, and all 16 American servicemen aboard perished. Among the victims were six navy personnel riding as passengers. The aircraft had been on its assigned heading of 150 degrees when it struck a ridge of Mount Constance at an approximate elevation of 7,000ft (2,000m), or only about 150ft (50m) below the terrain level, some 60 miles (100km) north-west of McChord Air Force Base, where it was to have landed at the end of a transpacific cargo flight.

“This had originated at Clark Air Base, in the Philippines, with an en-route stop in Japan. The impact triggered an avalanche that buried much of the wreckage in the valley below. It was dark at the time, and the weather in the area consisted of clouds that extended from the ground to 15,000ft (5,000m), with a visibility of only about a quarter of a mile (500m). The wind was blowing from due south at 25 knots. In its last recorded radio transmission, 64-641 had acknowl¬edged authorization by the Seattle air-traffic control center for descent from 10,000ft (3,000m), actually the minimum altitude at the scene of the accident, to 5,000ft (1,500m). This faulty clearance resulted from the controller’s mis-identification of the C-141 with another aircraft, a US Navy A-6 jet, which had been at the same height but flying in a northerly direction. It was noted in the investigative report that pilots deviating from the airway structure usually have no way of verifying their altitudes for the basis of challenging ATC height assignments.” (Gero 1999, 117)
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McClary: “On the night of March 20, 1975, a U.S. Air Force C-141A Starlifter, returning to McChord Air Force Base from the Philippines via Japan with 16 servicemen aboard, is flying southbound over the Olympic Mountains. A Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller, nearing the end of his shift, mistakes the Starlifter for a northbound Navy A-6 Intruder, on approach to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, and directs the pilot to drop altitude to 5,000 feet. Complying with the incorrect order, the C-141A crashes into Warrior Peak on the northwest face of Inner Mount Constance in the Olympic National Park, killing all onboard. Attempts are made to recover victims, but due to inclement weather and dangerous snow conditions, 15 of them will not be recovered until springtime. In terms of loss of life, it is the biggest tragedy ever to occur in the Olympic Mountains.” (McClary, Daryl C.. “U.S. Air Force C-141A Starlifter crashes into Mount Constance, on the Olympic Peninsula, killing 16 servicemen, on March 20, 1975.” Historylink.org. 4-29-2008 post.)

Sources

Aircraft Crashes Record Office (Geneva, Switzerland). Washington. Accessed 3-14-2009 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/Etats-Unis/Washington.htm

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

Hansen, Paul M. (Lt. Col., USAFR Ret.). C-141 Lifetime Mishap Summary. October 1, 2004. Accessed at: http://www.c141heaven.com/mishap_paul_hansen.htm

McClary, Daryl C.. “U.S. Air Force C-141A Starlifter crashes into Mount Constance, on the Olympic Peninsula, killing 16 servicemen, on March 20, 1975.” Historylink.org. 4-29-2008 post. Accessed 10-23-2021 at: https://www.historylink.org/File/8562