1995 — Sep 22, USAF AWACS Sentry Bird Strike Crash, Elmendorf AF Base, AK — 24
— 24 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. “USAF Boeing…Anchorage…Sep 22.”
— 24 Baugher, Joseph F. 1977 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-10-2010 revision.
— 24 Flight Safety Found. “Military Boeing 707 Strikes Birds After Liftoff…,” Accident Prev.
— 24 Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, 164.
— 24 Planecrashinfo.com. “1995. Accident Details. USAF…Anchorage, AK…Sep 22, 1995.”
Narrative Information
ASN: “Boeing E-3B Sentry 77-0354 was military Boeing 707-derivative, a.o. equipped and AWACS system. The aircraft, operated by the US Air Force 962nd Airborne Air Control Sqn, 3rd Wing, was assigned call-sign Yukla 27 for a 6.2 hr training mission. At 07:43 Yukla 27 was holding short of runway 05, waiting for takeoff, when a Lockheed Hercules departed. This aircraft disturbed a flock of Canada geese. The Yukla 27 crew were not warned about this by the tower controller. At 07:45 they were cleared for takeoff and the throttles were advanced. As the plane rotated for lift-off numerous geese were ingested in the no. 1 and 2 engines resulting in a catastrophic no. 2 engine failure and a stalling no. 1 engine. The crew initiated a slow climbing turn to the left and began to dump fuel. The aircraft attained a maximum altitude of 250 feet before it started to descend. The plane impacted a hilly, wooded area less than a mile from the runway, broke up, exploded and burned.
“PROBABLE CAUSE: Ingestion of Canada geese into the no. 1 and 2 engines. Two contributing factors were the fact that the 3rd Wing lacked an aggressive program to detect and deter geese; the preparations for the migration season of the bird hazard reduction working group (BHRWG) were insufficient. An earlier safety agency staff assistance visit (SAV) had misled the 3rd Wing to believe that they were prepared. The second contributing factor was the tower controllers failure to notify Yukla 27 or airfield management that geese were present on the infield.” (Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. “USAF Boeing…Anchorage…Sep 22.”)
Baugher: “Boeing E-3A Sentry…. 0354 (c/n 21554, 961st AACS) crashed in Alaska Sept 22, 1995 shortly after takeoff from Elmendorf AFB, AK when geese were ingested by engines. All 24 onboard killed.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1977 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-10-2010 revision.)
Gero: “Date: 22 September 1995 (c. 07:45)
“The modified Boeing 707-320B jet, used as an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, crashed and exploded shortly after taking off from Elmendorf Air Force Base, on a routine training mission. All 24 crewmen aboard perished.
“Investigation revealed that a flock of 100 or more Canada geese, which had been roosting on the grass adjacent to the runway, rose into the air and were ingested into the two port engines of the E-3 five seconds after the commander was heard to call `rotate’ on the cockpit voice recorder tape. This resulted in the immediate, uncontained and catastrophic failure of the No. 2 power plant and severe compressor stalls in the No. 1, leading to an asymmetrical thrust condition. The aircraft began a slow left-hand climbing turn before it initially struck the ground with its port wing tip and then slammed into the hilly, wooded terrain approximately 1 mile (1.5km) north-north-east of the departure end of Runway 05, which it had used, its undercarriage still down and flaps partially extended at the moment of impact.
“The local weather at the time consisted of scattered clouds clown to about 1,500ft (500m) and layers at higher altitudes, a visibility of 7 miles (11km) and light to moderate turbulence. Only two minutes before the crash, a C-130 transport had disturbed the birds that would bring down 77-0354, but while this had been observed by the tower controller, he did not inform either the AWACS crew or Airfield Management. Also cited were the procedures employed to reduce the bird hazard at the base, which were described as ‘inadequate’. Four officers assigned there in fact received ‘administrative discipline’ for their failure to provide leadership in this area.”
(Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, 164.)
Planecrashinfo.com: “The aircraft suffered multiple bird strikes in the No. 1 and 2 engines just after taking off when it flew into a flock of 100 or more Canada Geese. The crew initiated a slow climb and began to dump fuel. The aircraft attained a maximum altitude of 250 ft. before it started to descend. The plane impacted a hilly wooded area less than a mile from the runway, broke up, exploded and burned. Ingestion of Canada geese into the Nos. 1 and 2 engines. Lack of adequate procedures to reduce bird hazards. The crew was not warned about observations of birds in the area by the ATC.” No survivors; 20 passengers, crew of four.”
(Planecrashinfo.com.)
Sources
Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Boeing E-3A (707) Anchorage-Elmendorf AFB, AK, 22 Sep 1995. Accessed 7-15-2010 at:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19950922-0
Baugher, Joseph F. 1977 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-10-2010 revision. Accessed 3-14-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1977.html
Flight Safety Foundation. “Military Boeing 707 Strikes Birds After Liftoff; Damage to Engines No. 1 and No. 2 Results in Loss of Power and Impact with Terrain,” Accident Prevention, Vol. 53, No. 11, November 1996. Accessed at: http://flightsafety.org/ap/ap_nov96.pdf
Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.
Planecrashinfo.com. “1995. Accident Details. USAF…Anchorage, AK…Sep 22, 1995.” Accessed at: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1995/1995-59.htm