1996 — Nov 22, USAF Hercules Engine Loss and Crash, Pacific ~Cape Mendocino, CA– 10
— 10 Aiken Standard, SC. “Crash victims honored in military ceremony.” 12-8-1996, p. 2.
— 10 AP. “Shelton vote held up by AF crash query.” Pacific Stars and Stripes. 9-14-1997, 2.
— 10 ASN. USAF Lockheed HC-130P Hercules, 1996, Nov 22, off Cape Mendocino, CA.
— 10 Baugher, Joseph F. 1964 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.
— 10 Diehl. Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents…Cover-Ups. 2002, p. 99.
— 10 European Stars and Stripes. “Air Force admits errors, will reopen crash probe.” 1-17-98, 3
— 10 GlobalSecurity.org. “Military. HC-130P/N.”
— 10 Planecrashinfo.com. “1996. Accident Details. USAF…off Cape Mendocino, CA, Nov 22.”
— 10 Texas City Sun. “Air Force Plane Crashes in Pacific Ocean,” Nov 24, 1996, p. 7.
— 10 The Telegraph, Alton, IL. “Black boxes from military crash found.” 12-16-1996, p. 5.
— 10 Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Navy recovery specialists look for wreckage.” 12-2-1996, 12.
Narrative Information
ASN: “The HC-130 was enroute from North Island NAS when the crew reported that one engine was shut down and that they were having problems with another. The Hercules then reportedly suffered an electrical failure and was lost off the Californian coast.” (Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed HC-130P Hercules, 1996, Nov 22, off Cape Mendocino, CA.)
Baugher: “Lockheed HC-130H-LM Hercules….14856 (c/n 382-4072) converted to HC-130P, later NC-130H. Ditched in Pacific Ocean off Cape Mendocino, CA Nov 22, 1996. 10 of 11 aboard killed.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1964 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.)
Diehl: “A few weeks after the crash, a memorial service is held in the city of Portland. Three thousand people attend….But grief is not the only emotion running through this gathering, for they have heard stories that all the engines [four] failed without warning. Furthermore, there is a rumor that this is not the first time such problems have occurred in a C-130. These people simply want to know why these airmen have died.
“But these civilians are apparently unaware that the Pentagon doesn’t release such information – It’s privileged. Soon the outraged families and the community are demanding answers, without much success.
“Unfortunately for the Pentagon, these people are represented by a couple of newly elected senators who are not owned by the military establishment….Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden are a couple of straight shooters who cannot understand why the Pentagon will not just answer their constituents’ questions….
“…there are a few other very determined Oregonians who are not prepared to go quietly into oblivion. They include three of the widows, Tawni Farrarini, Gayle Schott, and Sue McAuley. These soccer moms, an unlikely trio of truth seekers, decide to force the massive Department of Defense bureaucracy to answer a few questions about the King-56 [plane’s call-sign] crash.
“The Pentagon quickly cranks up its ‘Maytag Mafia’ (so-called because these guys have more ‘spin cycles’ than the fanciest washing machine). First they sequester the Safety Investigation Board to insure that nothing leaks about the contents of the ‘real’ inquiry.
“Next they produce the Accident Investigation Board’s report and its draftee president, Colonel Larry Landtroop. This confused colonel has thirty-five hundred hours flying the C-130, but like most board presidents, he has never investigated an accident before. His inadequate 456-page report concludes that the four engines failed because of ‘fuel starvation’ for ‘unknown’ reasons.[1]
“The widow’s and families grow increasingly displeased with the service’s handling of the investigation. These distraught people insist that they learn more from the press than from military officials….Nor do they understand why the service is so reluctant to recover the wreckage. Then, too, there are persistent but uncorroborated stories about dozens of similar problems occurring to other XC-130s. The Pentagon seems to be saying that it doesn’t know why this crash occurred, but it does now it must be only an isolated problem. Thus, the case is closed.
“Two other folks are also growing impatient with the Pentagon. Senators Smith and Wyden suggest that, because the Air Force apparently cannot figure out what caused the King-56 crash, perhaps the National Transportation Safety Board should be brought in to assist….The Pentagon quickly but politely dismisses this suggestion as simply naïve. It also ignores other suggestions to release the contents of the safety report, to raise the wreckage, or to conduct an in-depth review of the C-130 engine problems….
“Air Force chief of flight safety, Lieutenant Colonel Tom Farrier….suggests that the fact that there have been fifty-eight power-loss mishaps since 1987 ‘is not worrisome,’ considering the large size of the C-130 fleet.[2]….
“These kinds of remarks…do not sit well with th two senators, who discover the Pentagon’s Achilles’ heel. The Defense Department, it seems, wants the Senate to quickly confirm the nomination of General Henry Shelton as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This is the nation’s highest military post, and they expect a rubber stamp on his nomination. Senators Wyden and Smith, however, announce that they are placing a hold on confirming this nomination until they get some answers to their safety questions.[3]….
“The Pentagon invites the NTSB to read the safety report. It announces the undertaking of a ‘broad area review’ – headed by a two-star general….
“On January 15, 1998, in an auditorium in Portland, the Air Force offers its mea culpa.[4] It seems its ninety-day broad area review has uncovered a few problems. A succession of contrite briefers will explain how they have actually uncovered twenty-two major deficiencies. There are also a total of seventy-one apparently ‘worrisome’ incidents reported, rather than the fifty-eight ‘nonworrisome’ occurrences mentioned earlier by the Pentagon safety expert….
“These people are dumbstruck upon learning that there are so many problems with the C-130 fleet. Even more disconcerting is the fact their government could be so oblivious to these many safety deficiencies for so long. These simple, trusting Americans got a painful education on the Pentagon’s priorities.
“These twenty-two deficiencies ascribed to the C-130 fell into several categories. Eight of the most serious problems involved aircraft systems, such s old electrical wiring that had become defective. Another important aircraft deficiency was the limited number of channels on C-130 flight data recorders. These outdated ‘black boxes’ had made it impossible to establish the status of many systems that may have caused the accident….Eight other deficiencies dealt with technical manuals. These disclosures were some of the hardest for the families to swallow. What the Air Force was saying was that those ‘bibles,’ which the crew members had tried to follow so religiously, did not contain some of the needed data or were simply wrong about other critical issues.
“Most painful of all was the fact that the manuals told the pilots to ditch the airplane rather than have the crew parachute to safety.[5] It turns out, historically that about 75 percent of people who have stayed aboard those c-130s that ditched, died. By contrast, only 10 percent of those who parachuted from other aircraft over water died.[6] (Diehl. Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents…Cover-Ups. 2002, p. 99-104)
GlobalSecurity.org: “HC-130P/N….On 24 April 1997 the Air Force released the aircraft accident investigation report on an Air Force Reserve HC-130P that crashed off the coast of California on 22 November 1996. Nine crewmembers and one passenger were killed and one crewmember was injured in the crash. The HC-130P and crew were en route to North Island Naval Air Station, Calif., from Portland International Airport on a routine over-water navigation training mission at the time of the accident. The crew and airplane were assigned to the 939th Rescue Wing (Air Force Reserve) at Portland International Airport, Ore. In the opinion of the accident investigator, the airplane’s engines ceased to operate due to lack of fuel flow. There was insufficient evidence to determine why the fuel ceased to flow to the engines. Portions of the aircraft’s wreckage, including the cockpit voice recorder, flight data recorder, and one engine were recovered from the ocean floor at a depth of more than 5,100 feet by members of the U.S. Navy’s Deep Submergence Unit.
“In September 1997, then Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. Sheila Widnall, directed “…a comprehensive review of flight safety issues associated with the C-130, including specifically the accident involving the HC-130P from the 939th Rescue Wing on 22 November 1996 and other incidents. The purpose of this review is to consider all the facts and theories of causation specific to the HC-130P accident and other incidents and to ensure that all appropriate steps are being taken to enhance the flight safety of the C-130 fleet…”
“King 56, the 939th Rescue Wing’s HC-130P which crashed 22 November 1996, crashed because its engines sequentially flamed out as a result of fuel starvation. This condition most likely occurred because the main tank fuel pump switches were in the “OFF” position when the right-hand fuselage tank, which was providing fuel to all four engines, emptied. With this tank empty, pressurized cabin air was then allowed, via open fuel valves, to enter the fuel supply manifolds for the engines. Flight testing on an HC-130 aircraft similar to King 56 repeatedly demonstrated that engines sequentially flame out when a fuselage tank was run empty with the main tank fuel pumps in the “OFF” position. With the main tank fuel pumps “ON,” there is a smooth transition from fuselage tank fuel to main tank fuel. If either the main tank pumps had been turned “ON,” or the cross-feed valves closed prior to the last engine flaming out, this aircraft could have been successfully recovered.” (GlobalSecurity.org. “Military. HC-130P/N.”)
Newspapers and News Releases — Chronological
Nov 22: “….After the engine trouble, the crew reported complete electrical failure…Radio contact was lost around 7:30 p.m. and wreckage was found 90 minutes later….The plane was en route from the Portland Air Base to the North Island Naval Air Station near San Diego…” (Frederick News, MD. “Air Force Rescue Plane Crashes,” 11-22-1996, p. 33.)
Nov 23: “An Air Force Reserve HC-130 Hercules rescue plane with 11 people on board crashed into the Pacific 200 miles west of San Francisco, Calif., Friday night during a routine training mission….The crew reported that one of the plane’s four propeller engines had shut down and that they were having trouble with another, said Col. Rick Davis, a spokesman for the 939th Rescue Squadron in Portland, Ore., where the plane was based.” (Syracuse Herald Journal, NY. “Air Force Reserve Plane Crashes in Pacific…,” 11-23-1996, 27)
Nov 24: “Eureka, Calif. – Rescuers hunted Saturday for survivors of an Air Force Reserve rescue plane that plunged into the frigid, shark-infested Pacific Ocean with 11 people on board. One person was rescued alive….Two bodies were pulled from the 52-degree water at morning’s light, leaving eight men unaccounted for.
“Helicopter crews returning Saturday reported seeing a 40-foot section of one wing and a piece of the plane’s nose. The crews also reported seeing a number of sharks prowling the area…. Three empty life rafts were found in the water west of Cape Mendocino, about 200 miles north of San Francisco.
“One survivor…of Albany, Ore., was rescued late Friday night. He was spotted clinging to a seat cushion by a helicopter crew using a powerful searchlight and night vision goggles…. [The survivor] told rescuers he saw no other survivors….” (Texas City Sun. “Air Force Plane Crashes in Pacific Ocean,” 11-24-1996, p. 7.)
Nov 25: “….`We have officially changed the nature of the mission from a search and rescue mission to a search and recovery mission,’ said Air Force Reserve Col. Gene Garton, vice wing commander of the 304th Rescue Squadron in Portland, Ore. ‘We are attempting to recover remains. We don’t expect there to be any survivors.” (Doylestown Intelligencer, PA. “Military Crash: No More Survivors.” 11-25-1996, p. 15.)
Nov 26: “Arcata, Calif. – (AP)…. Two hours after the distress call, a Coast Guard helicopter located the crash site 40 miles off Point Mendocino. Under the light of a full moon, Tech. Sgt. Robert Vogel of Albany, Ore., was spotted wearing a survival suit and clinging to a floating seat cushion in the 52-degree water….Vogel, a radioman on the aircraft, may have survived because the plane broke apart around him. Garton said the radioman’s seat would be against a major bulkhead at the rear of the flight deck….” (Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo. “Crews look for bodies, HC-130 wreckage.” 11-26-1996, 8.)
Dec 2: “San Diego – (AP) — Navy deep-sea recovery specialists were scheduled to leave today for the waters near Cape Mendocino in Humboldt to determine what caused last month’s crash of an Air Force rescue plane that killed 10 crewmen.
“Twenty members of the Deep Submergence Unit will attempt to locate and film the wreckage of the HC-130P Hercules that crashed 40 miles off Mendocino.
“The plane’s crew, reservists with the 939th Rescue Wing’s 304th Rescue Squadron in Portland, reported a faulty engine and electronic failure about 45 minutes before the aircraft vanished from radar…. It crashed after taking off from Portland at 5:30 p.m. in rainy, foggy weather….
“Tech. Sgt. Robert T. Vogel was pulled from the rough, 53-degree, shark-infested water by Coast Guard rescue cutters. He was airlifted to a civilian hospital [in Arcata], where he was treated for a broken pelvis, hypothermia and cuts.
“The bodies of the aircraft’s commander, Capt. Robert P. Schott, 36, of West Linn and the mechanic, Staff Sgt. Ronald E. Garner Jr., 30, of Silverton, were recovered….
“The unit, which is based at Coronado’s North Island Naval Air Station, will search the waters off Mendocino aboard the Laney Chouest, a 260-foot civilian ship under contract to the Navy. Using a tethered, remote-controlled submersible vehicle called Scorpio, the unit’s first goal will be to find the wreckage through sonar and photography. That will allow military officials to determine if retrieval is feasible. Two key factors in determining whether retrieval is possible, Papp said, will be the depth at which the wreckage is found and the condition of the seas.
“The Scorpio has a depth range of about 5,000 feet, the minimum estimated depths of the waters where the Hercules crashed.” (Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Navy recovery specialists look for wreckage.” 12-2-1996, p. 12.)
Dec 8: “Portland, Ore. — Hundreds turned out Saturday [Dec 7] for a tear-filled ceremony to honor 10 Air Force reservists killed in a crash off the California coast last month. Nearly 3,000 people crowded a hangar at the Portland Air Base, crying as the airmen were remembered….” (Aiken Standard, SC. “Crash victims honored in military ceremony.” 12-8-1996, p. 2.)
Dec 16: “Portland, Ore. (AP) – The Navy has located the black boxes from a military plane that crashed last month into the Pacific Ocean, killing 10 crew members, a naval commander said Sunday [Dec 15]. A remote-controlled submarine located the wreckage about 40 miles off Cape Mendocino, Calif., in water nearly a mile deep, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jack Papp said Sunday from his home in San Diego. The unmanned submarine Scorpio, equipped with a video camera, located the boxes containing the cockpit voice recorder and night data recorder, Papp said in a phone interview….” (The Telegraph, Alton, IL. “Black boxes from military crash found.” 12-16-96, 5)
June 18, 1997/Young: “Last Friday, the widows won a small victory when Oregon Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden successfully amended a military-spending bill, requiring the Department of Defense to review the way it conducts crash investigations and how it notifies families of accident victims. “It’s a step on the road to the bigger picture,” says Gayle Schott, one of several widows who’s lobbied for reforms of the military’s secretive crash investigations (“Why Did These 10 Men Die,” WW, June 18, 1997). “It feels good that we were able to make a significant contribution.”
“But as another widow, Sue McAuley, notes, “This bill would never have come about had we not felt driven to make a long list of all the bad treatment we received.” Schott says, for example, that during the first months of the investigation, both the media and Air Force wrongly reported “that we were getting things like counseling for our children, which we never got.” When the widows did ask for some things–such as a flight over the crash site–the Air Force rebuffed them. “Their answer was a flat ‘no,'” says widow Laura Wellnitz. “They said they were down one man,” she recalls. “Yeah, I thought, I’m down one man, too.”
“When the widows pushed, they met with callousness. One meeting with base commander Col. Rick Davis got off to a bad start, they say, when Davis entered the room and told the widows, “OK ladies, take your best shot. You’ve got 30 minutes, my horses are outside in the trailer.”[7] “That comment,” says Schott, “will go down in infamy.” It’s not been easy, the widows say, to fight the Air Force while holding down their jobs and parenting their children….
“That means the widows will continue to crusade for reforms in the deeply flawed crash investigation process. “How can I teach my children honesty and accountability,” says Wellnitz, “when the government doesn’t practice it?”
“Editor’s note: The widows want to clarify one bit of confusion about reports that the Air Force assigned dollar values to the lives of their husbands ($1.1 million for each officer; an average of $197,000 for non-officers). This does not mean the families will receive that amount of money. Rather, it is the Air Force’s estimated cost of what it spent training the respective crew members.” (Young, Bob. “Conduct Unbecoming. The King-56 widows finally feel like some of their pain has not been in vain.” Willamette Week, OR. 7-16-1997.)
Jan 14: “Washington — The Air Force will review the safety of its entire fleet of C-130 cargo planes, but it’s not clear whether that will satisfy an Oregon senator holding up a vote on the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Thursday [Sep 11] he was temporarily blocking the confirmation vote for Gen. Henry H. Shelton as the new Joint Chiefs chairman until he gets a better explanation for a C-130 crash that killed 10 Air Force Reservists from Oregon in November.
“Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., said Thursday night that a discussion with senior Republicans on the Armed Services Committee and Air Force officials indicated that the military may be willing
to re-examine the cause of the crash with independent help from the National Transportation Safety Board.
“However, an Air Force spokeswoman said Friday the review would not delve into the specifics of the C-130 that took off from Portland, Ore., and plunged into the Pacific on Nov. 22,1996. The Air Force has said fuel starvation caused the C-130 to lose power in its engines. However, the NTSB said information it received on the crash failed to support the Air Force’s explanation.”
(AP. “Shelton vote held up by AF crash query.” Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo. 9-14-1997, 2.)
Jan 16: “Scott Air Force Base, Ill. — The team appointed to conduct a review of flight safety issues associated with the C-130 recently completed its report. That team, headed by Maj. Gen. Bobby O. Floyd, director of logistics, Air Mobility Command, was also chartered by the Secretary of the Air Force to look into the Nov. 22, 1996, accident involving the HC-130P from the 939th Rescue Wing, Portland, Oregon.
“Key recommendations the team has made include the following:
- The Air Force should review and update the existing lead command directive (AFPD 10-9) to reflect changes which have occurred since the stateside theater airlift fleet transferred from Air Combat Command to Air Mobility Command in April 1997. It should ensure that cockpit instrumentation and aircraft modifications are standardized across a fleet of like aircraft and that the manuals used to maintain and operate the aircraft are up-to-date, easy to read, and standardized across the fleet.
- The Air Force should consider the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board guidelines and experiences in arriving at a standardized set of digital flight data recorder flight parameters. This would ensure that essential flight data is captured for evaluation in future incidents and accidents.
- The Air Force should review ditching and bailout procedures . Specifically, it should analyze previous ditching events and use this data to update and standardize flight manuals with a discussion of ditching survivability and techniques. It should ensure that the information concerning bailout in the flight manuals is consistent between models. The Air Force needs to require crews to review these procedures on the first leg of each over-water mission. Also, the Air Force should establish a standard life support equipment requirement for each mission design series.
- The Air Force should fully fund a program to complete rewrites of its C-130 technical orders and should also fund an initiative currently underway to convert technical manuals from paper format to digital. New CD-ROM technology will make updating the technical manuals easier and less expensive.
- The Air Force should recover selected wreckage from King 56, particularly the wing section, the fuselage tanks and the cockpit fuel gauges. These items would answer many open questions and provide additional information concerning various possible fuel-related scenarios.
“The review team studied the safety history of the C-130, examined air crew training and observed C-130 crew members and maintenance personnel on the job in order to get a first-hand look at any problems they may have encountered. They visited more than a dozen C-130 units during the course of the review.
“Experts from Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and both the Guard and Reserve, along with a representative from the National Transportation Safety Board, comprise the review team. Industry representatives from Allison Engine Company, Lockheed-Martin Aerospace Systems and Hamilton Standard Propeller Systems have served as advisors to the team.
“The C-130 is considered to be one of the workhorses among military aircraft. C-130s have flown more than 14 million hours since entering the Air Force inventory in the mid-1950s, and the aircraft boasts one of the lowest accident rates among the Air Force’s aircraft inventory -about half the overall Air Force rate for fiscal 1997.” (Air Mobility Command (USAF) News Release. “Air Force team completes review of C-130 fleet.” 1-16-1998.”
Jan 17: “Washington (AP) — The Air Force is admitting mistakes in its probe of a cargo plane crash that killed 10 airmen and will go back into the Pacific Ocean to retrieve wreckage for further investigation.
“Additional review indicates fuel starvation is one of the most likely reasons the C-130 Hercules crashed off the coast of Northern California Nov. 22, 1996, according to congressional aides briefed on the latest results. But a number of scenarios have yet to be ruled out, and the Air Force and National Transportation Safety Board want to continue examining the evidence, the aides said. “They want to go back and try to recover the fuel tanks and gauges if possible, and a wing that might suggest some answers,” said David Seldin, press secretary to Sen. Ron Wyden, D. Ore.
“The Air Force Reserve crewmen — based in Portland, Wash. — were on a training flight to San Diego when, one by one, the engines stopped running. They repeatedly tried to restart the engines, but could not.
“In the latest report in conjunction with the NTSB, Air Force investigators identified more than 20 areas of concern, ranging from the physical condition of the plane to its training and operation, Seldin said.
“Air Force officials briefed family members in Oregon on Friday on the latest results.
“Wyden praised the Air Force’s decision to reopen the probe. “In a phenomenon too rare in the nation’s capital, a powerful arm of the federal government has admitted that it was wrong and it will work to make amends,” Wyden said. Wyden and Sen. Gordon Smith, R. Ore., temporarily blocked confirmation last year of Gen. Henry II. Shelton as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a successful effort to force the Air Force to reopen its investigation.
“Family members of the victims had complained about the handling of the original probe, especially the decision to abandon efforts to recover some of the bodies and additional wreckage.
Several family members have filed a federal lawsuit against the manufacturers of the plane and engine.” (European Stars and Stripes. “Air Force admits errors, will reopen crash probe.” 1-17-98, 3.)
Sources
Aiken Standard, SC. “Crash victims honored in military ceremony.” 12-8-1996, p. 2. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=104087846
Air Mobility Command (USAF) News Release. “Air Force team completes review of C-130 fleet.” 1-16-1998.” Accessed 2-1-2016 at: http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/docs/980115.htm
Associated Press. “Shelton vote held up by AF crash query.” Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. 9-14-1997, 2. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133914640
Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed HC-130P Hercules, 1996, Nov 22, off Cape Mendocino, CA. Accessed 3-24-2012 at:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19961122-1
Baugher, Joseph F. 1964 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision. Accessed 2-26-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1964.html
Diehl, Alan E. Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-Ups. NY: Bristol Park Books, 2002.
Doylestown Intelligencer. PA. “Military Crash: No More Survivors.” 11-25-1996, p. 15. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=31098407
European Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. “Air Force admits errors, will reopen crash probe,” 1-17-98, 3. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=136223219
Frederick News, MD. “Air Force Rescue Plane Crashes,” 11-22-1996, p. 33. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=12061933
GlobalSecurity.org. Military. “HC-130P/N.” Accessed 3-24-2012 at: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/hc-130p.htm
Pacific Stars and Stripes, Tokyo, Japan. “Crews look for bodies, HC-130 wreckage.” 11-26-1996, 8. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133909447
Planecrashinfo.com. Accident Details. November 22, 1996, 19:30. USAF, off Cape Mendocino, CA, Nov 22.” Accessed 2-1-2016 at: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1996/1996-70.htm
Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Air Force Reserve Plane Crashes in Pacific Ocean.” 11-23-1996, p. 27. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=28327952
Texas City Sun. “Air Force Plane Crashes in Pacific Ocean.” 11-24-1996, p. 7. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=146459924
The Telegraph, Alton, IL. “Black boxes from military crash found.” 12-16-1996, p. 5. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=116729323
Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Navy recovery specialists look for wreckage.” 12-2-1996, p. 12. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=120481450
Young, Bob. “Conduct Unbecoming. The King-56 widows finally feel like some of their pain has not been in vain.” Willamette Week, OR. 7-16-1997. Accessed at: http://wweek.com/___ALL_OLD_HTML/king-56-071697.html
[1] Cites Bryan Denson. “Suit Says Bad Part Caused Air Crash.” The Oregonian, 11-21-1997, D1 and D16.
[2] Cites: Brendan Sobie. “Air Force Maintains November C-130 Crash Was an Isolated Incident.” Inside the Air Force, Vol. 8, no. 29, 7-18-1997, p. 13.
[3] Cites: William Matthews. “Searching for Answers, At Senators’ Urging, Air Force to Review C-130 Safety.” Air Force Times, 9-29-1997, p. 18.
[4] Cites: David Castellon. “More C-130 Wreckage to be Retrieved.” Air Force Times, 2-2-1998, 2.
[5] Cites: Associated Press. “Manuals May Have Mislead Crew.” Air Force Times, 12-8-1997, 8.
[6] Cites: Bryan Denson. “C-130 Crew Unaware of Risks.” The Oregonian [no date given].
[7] “The Air Force later states that it sees no problems with this commander’s attitude.” (Diehl 2002, 100; cites Bryan Denson. “Air Force Finds No Violation in King Inquiry.” The Oregonian, 5-25-1999, E-1 and E-5.)