1982 — Aug 31, USAF C-141 transport plane crash, John’s Knob, Cherokee Nat., TN– 9

— 9  Assoc. Press. “Searchers Find Plane, No Survivors.” Aiken Standard, SC. 9-2-1982, 5B.

— 9  Baugher, Joseph F.  1964 USAF Serial Numbers.  1-16-2012 revision.

— 9  Hansen, Paul “C-141 Tail Number: 64-0652.” C141Heaven.info. Accessed 4-19-2017.

 

Narrative Information

 

Baugher: “0652 (c/n 300-6065, 437 MAW) crashed Aug 31, 1982 Hoopers Bald Mountain near Murphy, NC.  All 9 onboard killed. (ASN).”

 

Hansen: Notes that “The extremely experienced crew elected to continue a low-level airdrop mission in mountainous terrain during marginal weather….The aircraft entered VR-92 at 1350 local time. Weather along the route was reported, by other aircraft as 4500 feet Overcast, tops to 8000 feet, with zero visibility below 4500 feet due to rain showers, ragged ceiling, multi-layered stratus and fog. Route weather was below MAC minimums.[1]

 

“….At 1427 the plots showed the aircraft in a progressive climb from 2500 feet. The aircraft impacted 4908 foot John’s Knob in the Tellico Wildlife Area, 118 feet short of the peak. At the time of impact the aircraft was in a slight climb of 4-5 degrees (approximately 2000 feet per minute)….Speculation was that the crew was attempting to use the recently installed Bendix color radar in the MAP mode, for terrain avoidance.” (Hansen, Paul. “C-141 Tail Number: 64-0652.” C141Heaven.info. Accessed 4-19-2017.)  [Contains photographs, information on the mission and crash and reproductions of several newspaper articles from Charleston, SC papers, the plane’s home station.]

 

Newspapers

 

Sep 1, United Press International: “….Authorities at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina early today sent a search plane to retrace the flight path of a C-141B cargo jet with nine crew members aboard that disappeared while intentionally flying low over mountainous terrain Tuesday. The last contact with the missing aircraft occurred at 1:50 p.m. Tuesday [Aug 31] when the Federal Aviation Administration gave it permission to descend to a low-level training route….” (UPI. “One Jet Crashes, Another Missing.” Cumberland Evening Times, MD. 9-1-1982, p. 2.)

 

Sep 2, Associated Press: “Tellico Plains, Tenn. (AP) — Searchers using flashlights in mountain terrain found the wreckage of a missing Air Force transport plane, but none of the nine crewmen survived, officials said today. The C-141B, missing on a routine training flight Tuesday, was found in the Cherokee National Forest on 4,900-foot high John’s Knob, said Capt. Bob Swabe, director of emergency services for the Tennessee Civil Air Patrol. The crash site in southeast Tennessee is near the North Carolina border. ‘Initial reports indicate there were no survivors,’ said Sgt. George Johnson at Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina, where the plane was based….

 

“The wreckage was found at 11:25 p.m. Wednesday by searchers from the Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Forest Service and Monroe County sheriff’s office, Swabe said. ‘It’s in a pretty rugged area…’ Swabe said…adding that the wreckage was scattered over a wide area.’….

 

“The plane, on a low-flying training mission, was due back at the Charleston base at about 6 p.m. Tuesday, and the search began about 30 minutes later. The low-level flight plan called for the plane to follow a mountainous route from northeast Alabama through Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia to northwest South Carolina, said Charleston AFB Capt. Beth Schneidhorst….

 

“The C-141B can carry up to 200 troops or 69,000 pounds of cargo, Ms. Schneidhorst said.” (Associated Press. “Searchers Find Plane, No Survivors.” Aiken Standard, SC. 9-2-1982, 5B.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Searchers Find Plane, No Survivors.” Aiken Standard, SC. 9-2-1982, 5B. Accessed 4-19-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/aiken-standard-sep-02-1982-p-17/?tag

 

Baugher, Joseph F. 1964 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision. Accessed 2-26-2012 at:  http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1964.html

 

C141Heaven.info. “C-141 Tail Number: 64-0652.” Accessed 4-19-2017 at: http://www.c141heaven.info/dotcom/64/pic_64_0652.php

 

United Press International. “One Jet Crashes, Another Missing.” Cumberland Evening Times, MD. 9-1-1982, p. 2. Accessed 4-19-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cumberland-evening-times-sep-01-1982-p-2/?tag

[1] Minimum Acceptable Control?