1976 — Aug 28, USAF C-41 plane crash/lndg., Soendre Stromfjord AFB, Greenland-(13 US) 23

–23 ASN. Accident description. USAF Lockheed C-141A-M Starlifter, Greenland, 28Aug1976.
–23 Baugher, Joseph F. 1967 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.
–23 Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 122.
–21 Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “List of Known Dead.” 8-31-1976, p. 7.
–21 Redlands Daily Facts, CA. “Sabotage ruled out in two USAF…crashes.” 8-30-1976, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network:
“….Time: 11:45….
“Registration: 67-0008
“C/n / msn: 300-6257….
“Total airframe hrs: 15228….
“Crew: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 8
“Passengers: Fatalities: 16 / Occupants: 19
“Total: Fatalities: 23 / Occupants: 27….
“Location: Kangerlussuaq-Sondre Stromfjord Airport (SJF) (Greenland)
“Phase: Landing….

“Narrative: “Lockheed C-141 67-0008 departed Thule Air Base on Greenland for a two-hour flight to Sonderstrom Air Base. From Sonderstrom it was to return to Thule and continue back home to McGuire AFB. The flight carried enough fuel for the flight to McGuire.

“Following a PAR approach [precision approach radar] the airplane landed slightly long on the 9235 feet long runway 11. The aircraft rolled for 1500 to 2000 feet with no thrust reverser or spoiler deployment. A go around was commenced. The plane then rotated abruptly and lifted off the runway with a pitch attitude as high as 45 degrees. The aircraft stalled. The left wing struck the ground and burst into fire. The aircraft became airborne again with portions of the left wing missing. It flew for 650 feet before striking the ground with the right wing, causing it to catch fire. It then bounced once more and disintegrated 500 feet from runway centerline.

“Investigation revealed that the crew were very inexperienced (a captain with less than 100 hours in command). They were probably affected by an optical illusion. The first 3000 feet of runway 11 has an upslope of 1.51%; it rises 59 feet from the threshold. At touchdown, the last two-thirds of the runway disappears, giving the impression of a very short runway.”

“Statistics…. 2nd worst accident involving a Lockheed C-141 (at the time)
2nd worst accident involving a Lockheed C-141 (currently)
Worst accident in Greenland (at the time)
Worst accident in Greenland (currently) [Accessed 3-3-2012.]

(Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed C-141A-M Starlifter, Kangerlussauq-Sondre Stromfjord Airport, Greenland, 28 Aug 1976.)

Baugher: “Lockheed C-141A-LM Starlifter 0008 (c/n 300-6259) crashed at Sondestrom Ford, Greenland Aug 28, 1976. Landed during windy conditions, landed long, and bounced. The crew tried to recover, but it subsequently cartwheeled and crashed in a fireball. 23 killed, one loadmaster and 3 passengers survived. (ASN).” (Baugher. 1967 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.)

Gero: “Date: 28 August 1976 (c.12:40)
“Location: Near Holsteinborg, Greenland….

“The second fatal MAC C-141 crash within about three hours occurred as the jet transport was landing at Sondrestrom Air Base, following an airlift mission from Thule Air Base, also located on Greenland. Killed in this second accident were 23 persons aboard the aircraft, including eight Danish civilians; two of the victims succumbed within a three-day period about two weeks later.

“Three passengers and one of the eight crewmen assigned to 67-0008, all US Air Force personnel, survived with various injuries.

“After a PAR approach, the aircraft touched down on Runway 11 on its extended undercarriage and with flaps fully deployed, but at approximately the mid-field position, the left wing tip contacted the pavement. As it proceeded, the C¬141 drifted first to the left before departing the runway off its right side and some 2,400ft (730m) short of the departure end. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and by fire, which had erupted when the wing first scraped the ground. At the time, the weather consisted of a high, broken overcast, with a visibility of 10 miles (15km) and a light, north-westerly wind. The type of accident was described in the investigative report as a ‘hard landing’, in which the aircraft’s nose gear collapsed rearward. Although no conclusions were given, the absence of evidence of material failure in the engines, flight controls or flight instruments pointed to some operational factor as causing the crash.” (Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 122.)

Newspapers:

Aug 30: “…the…Starlifter [from McGuire AFB, NJ] apparently stalled while landing at Soendre Stromfjord Air Force Base in Greenland. Twenty-one of the 27 crewmen and passengers were killed.” (Redlands Daily Facts, CA. “Sabotage ruled out in two USAF Starlifter crashes.” 8-30-1976, 1.)

“McGuire AFB, N.J. (UPI) – The U.S. Air Force Sunday [Aug 29] issued the following list of passengers and crew members killed Saturday in two crashes of Air Force transport planes in Britain and Greenland.
Greenland…Killed

1st Lt. Leo D. Sullivan, pilot, North Haven, Conn.
1st Lt. Glenn F. Bialke, copilot, Sauk Rapids, Minn.
2nd Lt. Jeffrey T. Wilson, navigator, Middleton, Wisc.
T. Sgt. Garland B. Peer, flight engineer, Browns Mills, N.J.
S. Sgt. Carlos M. Perez, flight engineer, Puerto Rico.
T. Sgt. Patrick F. Quinn, loadmaster, Fort Lee, N.J.
S. Sgt. Charles J. Bass, loadmaster, Rougemont, N.C.
T. Sgt. Leslie Foster, passenger, Crossville, Tenn.
Capt. Robert E. Jones, passenger, Portland, Ore.
T. Sgt. Terry B. Ohnmeiss, passenger, Colorado Springs, Colo.
George W. Johnson, civilian passenger, address unknown.
Elvin G. Underdahl, civilian passenger, address unknown.
A U.S. citizen whose identity was withheld at the request of next of kin.
Eight Danish citizens who were not immediately identified.”

(Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “List of Known Dead.” 8-31-1976, 7.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed C-141A-M Starlifter, Kangerlussauq-Sondre Stromfjord Airport, Greenland, 28 Aug 1976. Accessed at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19760828-3

Baugher, Joseph F. 1967 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision. Accessed 3-2-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1967.html

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

Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “List of Known Dead [USAF Crashes, UK and Greenland].” 8-31-1976, 7. http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=141746296

Redlands Daily Facts, CA. “Sabotage ruled out in two USAF Starlifter crashes.” 8-30-1976, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=156981497