1989 — Jan 31, USAF SAC KC-135 tanker takeoff crash, Dyess Air Force Base, TX — 19
— 19 Baugher, Joseph F. 1963 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.
— 19 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 149.
— 19 New York Times. “19 are Killed as Air Force Jet Crashes on Takeoff in Texas.” 2-1-1989.
— 19 Traverse City Record Eagle, MI. “Sawyer tanker jet crashes; 19 killed.” 2-1-1989.
Narrative Information
Baugher: “Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker….7990 (c/n 18607, 410th BW) water-injection system failed during takeoff at Dyess AFB, TX and crashed Jan 31, 1989. 19 crew and passengers onboard killed.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1963 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 rev.)
Gero: “Operated by the Strategic Air command, the jet tanker [63-7990] crashed and burst into flames seconds after taking off from Runway 16 at Dyess Air Force Base. All 19 persons aboard lost their lives, including a crew of seven military personnel; among the passengers were four civilian dependents. Only seconds after becoming airborne, the KC-135 slammed to earth approximately half-a-mile…beyond the end and 600ft (180m) to the right of the extended centerline of the runway, its undercarriage retracted and flaps set at 30 degrees at the moment of impact. The accident occurred in visual meteorological conditions, but gusty winds were blowing from a due westerly direction at the time, with a cross-wind component alone of 20 knots or greater. There was no evidence of failure in the aircraft’s instruments, flight controls or power plants, despite eye-witness accounts of smoke or vapor emanating from an engine, which could indicate trouble in its water injection system. Improper piloting technique was, however, reported to have factored in the crash.” (Gero 1999, pp. 149-150)
Jan 31, NYT: “Abilene, Tex., Jan 31 — A military refueling jet bound for Hawaii crashed in a ball of flame on takeoff today at Dyess Air Force Base, killing all 19 people on board, the Air Force said. Officials at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base near Marquette, Mich, where the flight originated, said the passengers included spouses of active or retired members of the military. No children were believed to have been on board….
“The wreckage burned for more than an hour after the crash, which occurred at 12:10 P.M. at the south end of the Dyess runway, near U.S. Highway 277 about six miles southwest of Abilene….
“A base spokesman said the flight manifest showed that 17 of those on board were from the Michigan base and the other two boarded at Dyess….
“The plane, a KC-135A based at K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base near Marquette, Mich., was flying from Dyess to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii on a training mission.[1]
“Officials in Washington said the plane was carrying close to a full load of fuel, totaling 155,000 pounds, including its own fuel and fuel to transfer during the flight to F-16 fighters flying across the Pacific….
“The KC-135, a Stratotanker, is the military version of the Boeing 707 and is the backbone of the Air Force’s refueling fleet. It normally takes a crew of four or five but can carry a sizeable load of passengers even when carrying fuel.
“The military began using the first KC-135-A’s in 1956. They have a range of 11,050 miles when carrying 120,000 pounds of fuel. They cost $20.1 million.
“A KC-135 crashed Oct. 11, 1988, at Wurtsmith Air Base near Oscoda, Mich. That plane, also based at Sawyer, exploded in flames on landing, killing six people and injuring 10….” (NYT. “19 are Killed as Air Force Jet Crashes on Takeoff in Texas.” 2-1-1989.)
Feb 1, Traverse City Record Eagle: “Abilene, Texas (AP) – A military refueling jet that crashed on takeoff, killing all 19 aboard, appeared to veer away from a cluster of houses before tipping onto the ground and exploding in a mushroom-shaped fireball, witnesses said….
“The flight manifest showed that 18 of the passengers were from Sawyer and the two others boarded at Dyess, said…[a] Dyess spokesman. In addition to seven crew members, four passengers were on active duty in the military, four were retired military and among the four dependents was one child….” (Traverse City Record Eagle, MI. “Sawyer tanker jet crashes; 19 killed.” 2-1-1989.)
Feb 2, AP: “Abilene, Texas (AP) – Here is a list of 17 of the 19 victims of Tuesday’s KC-135 crash at Dyess Air Force Base. The name of one victim was withheld pending notification of next of kin. The name of a second victim was withheld at the request of the victim’s family.
Active Duty
Brackney, 1st Lt. Kenneth A., 25, Ridge Farm, Ill.
Conge, Senior Airman Leopoldo L. Jr., 29, San Pablo, Calif.
David, Airman Noel R., 29, Alexandria, La.
Galineau, Airman 1st Class Jay M., 30, Menominee, Mich.
Juneau, Master Sgt. Douglas E., age unavailable, Anderson AFB, Guam.
Llewellyn, Capt. Robert M. III, 32, Cumberland, Md.
Neher, Senior Airman Andrew W., 21, Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Nellis, Capt. Joseph A., 28, Granger, Ind.
Smith, Senior Airman Richard D., 21, Big Creek, W.Va.
Vickers, Staff Sgt. David A., 34, Whitmore Lake, Mich.
Others
Clark, Donald M., Navy retired, age unavailable, Minocqua, Wis.
Clark, June L., dependent, age unavailable, Minocqua, Wis.
Curtis, Robert W., Air Force retired, age unavailable, Sault Ste Marie, Mich.
Phillips, James A., Air Force retired, 58, Abilene, Texas.
Wooldridge, Berlin B., Air Force retired, age unavailable, Gwinn, Mich.
Wooldridge, Jordan M., dependent, age unavailable, Gwinn, Mich. [4-years-old][2]
Wooldridge, Margret J., dependent, age unavailable, Gwinn, Mich.
(Traverse City Record Eagle, MI. “Air base mourns crash victims.” 2-2-1989, p. 5.)
Sources
Baugher, Joseph F. 1963 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-13-2016 revision. Accessed 4-7-2016 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1963.html
Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.
New York Times. “19 are Killed as Air Force Jet Crashes on Takeoff in Texas.” 2-1-1989. Accessed 7-3-2016 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/01/us/19-are-killed-as-air-force-jet-crashes-on-takeoff-in-texas.html
Traverse City Record Eagle, MI. “Air base mourns crash victims.” 2-2-1989, p. 5. Accessed 7-3-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/michigan/traverse-city/traverse-city-record-eagle/1989/02-02/page-5?tag
Traverse City Record Eagle, MI. “Sawyer tanker jet crashes; 19 killed.” 2-1-1989, p. 1. Accessed 7-3-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/michigan/traverse-city/traverse-city-record-eagle/1989/02-01?tag
[1] Another AP article notes that the final destination, after the Hawaii stop, was Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. (Traverse City Record Eagle, MI. “Air base mourns crash victims.” 2-2-1989, p. 5.)
[2] Our deduction. Article notes that one of the victims was 4. Later quotes a source to effect that two family friends and their 4-year-old nephew were on board.