1978 — Dec 10, USAF C-130 Hercules plane crash, landing phase, Fort Campbell, KY– 5

— 5 ASN. Accident descrip. USAF Lockheed C-130E, near Hopkinsville-Fort Campbell AAF.
— 5 Baugher, Joseph F. 1968 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-10-2012 revision.
— 5 Daily Herald, Chicago, IL. “Air Force plane crash kills 5.” 12-11-1978, p. 3.

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Lockheed C-130E-LM Hercules….10951 (c/n 382-4331) crashed at Ft. Campbell, KY Dec 10, 1978. All 5 onboard killed (ASN).” (Baugher. 1968 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-10-2012 rev.)

ASN: “….First flight: 1969
“Crew: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
“Passengers: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0….
“Departure airport: Jacksonville-Little Rock AFB, AR,,,
“Destination airport: Hopkinsville-Fort Campbell AAF, KY…
“Narrative: Crashed on approach due to broken throttle linkage.”

(Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed C-130E Hercules, 1978, Dec 10, near Hopkinsville-Fort Campbell AAF, KY.)

Newspaper

Dec 11, Daily Herald: “Hopkinsville, Ky. (AP) – A military cargo plane crashed early Sunday in a farm field short of a runway at Fort Campbell Army base in southwestern Kentucky, killing all five crew members aboard, a military spokesman said. Lt. Col. A.T. Brainerd, public information officer at the base, said the Air Force C-130 Hercules crashed while in a landing pattern. The plane was en route to the base from the Little Rock, Ark., Air Force Base, to participate in a training exercise with members of the 101st Airborne Division, Brainerd said.

“It was the seventh fatal crash of a C-130 from the Little Rock base since the planes were deployed there in 1970. The worst accident occurred in 1971 when 10 persons died in the crash of a plane shortly after takeoff.

“A spokesman for the Military Air Command division at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Ill., said all C-l30s built before 1973 have been grounded as a result of the crash.

“Brainerd said the plane crashed and burned near the intersection of State highway 1453 and county road 901, about five miles from I-24.

“Sgt. Gary Louden of the Little Rock base, identified four of the dead as Lt. Col. Larry 6. Hodge, 40, of Marion, Ky., the aircraft commander; Capt. Earl R. Gray Jr., 27, of Easton, Kan., navigator; Staff Sgt. Joseph N. Babicz, 28, of Chicago, flight engineer; and Sgt. Donald G. Estes, 26 of Melbourne, Ark. Louden said all four lived in Jacksonville, Ark. The fifth victim was. not immediately identified, pending notification of relatives.” (Daily Herald, Chicago, IL. “Air Force plane crash kills 5.” 12-11-1978, p. 3.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed C-130E Hercules, 1978, Dec 10, near Hopkinsville-Fort Campbell AAF, KY. Accessed 3-9-2012 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19781210-0

Baugher, Joseph F. 1968 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-10-2012 revision. Accessed 3-5-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1968.html

Daily Herald, Chicago, IL. “Air Force plane crash kills 5.” 12-11-1978, 3. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=15808820