1975 — Apr 4, USAF C5A Operation Babylift Crash ~Tan Son Nhut AB, Vietnam –50-52US of 155

Total:
— 206 AP. “250 more orphans are on the way.” San Antonio Express, TX.” 4-7-1975, 2A.
–10 U.S. crew members.
— 206 Boyne, Walter J. “The Fall of Saigon.” Air Force Magazine, April 2000.
— >200 Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979, p.14.
— >180 McDonald, Sister Susan Carol. “In Memoriam – Babylift Memorial Page.”)
— >178 Daily Facts, Redlands, CA. “At least 178 killed. Giant plane…orphans crashes.” 4-4-75
— >178 Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. “Giant US Plane Crashes…Viet War Orphans.” 4-5-75
— 175 El Paso Herald Post, TX. 4-7-1975, 1.
— 172 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 381.
— 155 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, 116-117.
— 155 Mondout, Patrick. “C5 Crashes in Vietnam During Operation Babylift.”
— 154 Palazzo. “The 35th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon.” Salem-News, OR. 4-7-2010.
— 153 Frisbee, Chuck. “Valor: A Galaxy of Heroes.” Air Force Magazine, V74, N8, Aug 1991
— 153 Wikipedia. “1975 Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident.” 3-6-2012 modification.
–141 cargo compartment (orphans and attendants)
— 3 of 152 in the troop compartment.
— 5 flight crew
— 3 medical team
— 3 “others”
— 138 of 314 occupants. Aviation Safety Network. Database 1975. “Friday 4 April 1975.”
— 138 Colimore. “Operation babylift: When 2,500 children…” Stars and Stripes, 3-11-2015.
–78 children.
— 138 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. “Remembering the First Operation Babylift Flight.”
— 138 Wikipedia. “Operation Babylift.” 2-23-2012 modification.
— >130 Manney. “Operation Babylift: Evacuating Children Orphaned…Vietnam War.” 9-13-06

U.S.
— 68 25th Aviation Battalion. Vietnam War Statistics and Facts. “Operation Babylift.”
— 52 Blanchard tally of named individuals noted below.
— 50 Wikipedia. “1975 Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident.” 3-6-2012 modification.
— 35 Defense Attaché Office, Saigon female personnel. (DIA. “Remembering the…”
— 5 Defense Intelligence Agency female personnel. (DIA. Remembering…”
–8-11 USAF C5A Galaxy crew.
–11 Togetherweserved.com
–11 Wikipedia. “1975 Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident.” 5-21-2020 edit.
–10 AP. “250 more orphans are on the way.” 4-7-1975, citing US Embassy.
— 9 25th Aviation Battalion.

Narrative Information

“59 civilians
9 military
—
68 total

“Operation Babylift – The Flight..

“The plane, a C-5A ‘Galaxy’, was carrying 243 children, 44 escorts, 16 crewmen and 2 flight nurses. These numbers vary according to which news articles you read as totals vary between 305 to 319 on-board. Eight members of the Air Force crew perished in the crash. The plane was enroute to Travis AFB in California. Most of those who perished were in the lowest of three levels in what was then the largest aircraft in the world….

“South Vietnamese sources said three militiamen on the ground were killed when the airplane fell….” (25th Aviation Battalion. Vietnam War Statistics and Facts. “Operation Babylift.”)

DIA: “During the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975, President Gerald Ford ordered the evacuation of Vietnamese orphans from Saigon in the face of a massive North Vietnamese offensive. This mission, coined Operation Babylift, began April 4, 1975, and evacuated more than 3,000 orphans throughout the month.

“On the first available plane, ground crews loaded 250 small children along with a staff of volunteers and nurses onto a C-5A Galaxy transport. There were 36 female members of the Defense Attaché Office (DAO) Saigon on board to serve as escorts, at least five of whom were Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) employees.

“Approximately 12 minutes after takeoff, the locks on the rear cargo door of the C-5 failed, and the aft pressure door, part of the loading ramp, and the cargo door, blew off, severely damaging the flight controls in the tail. The pilots attempted an emergency landing at Tan Son Nhut airbase, but the plane crashed in a marsh two miles short of the runway. The impact crushed the cargo deck, where almost all of the orphans were kept. There were 138 people killed in the crash, including 78 children and 35 DAO personnel.

“DIA’s Celeste Brown, Vivienne Clark, Dorothy Curtiss, Joan Pray and Doris Watkins died that day supporting Operation Babylift. It was the single largest loss of life in DIA’s history until the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. “The fourth day of April, 1975. I’ll never forget it,” said MG Homer Smith, former U.S. defense attaché in Saigon. “It was the longest day of my life … I recall my [executive officer] telling me, coming in and saying, ‘Boss, we have a disaster. The C-5 just crashed out toward the air base.’ And you could look out and you could see the smoke coming … We set up a morgue over at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital and brought bodies over there. We had a few survivors. They were taken to the hospital. It was a shattering, shattering experience.” (U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency. “Remembering the First Operation Babylift Flight.” 2-17-2012 update.)

Frisbee: “At 4:03 p.m., April 3, 1975, Air Force C-5A Galaxy, serial number 68-218, lifted off the runway at Tan Son Nhut AB near Saigon, bound for Clark AB in the Philippines. The huge strategic transport carried the most precious cargo aircraft commander Dennis “Bud” Traynor and his crew of 16 had ever flown. This was the initial mission of Operation Babylift, directed by President Gerald Ford to bring Vietnamese orphans to the US in the few remaining days before the Republic of Vietnam fell.

“In the C-5’s troop compartment were 145 orphans and seven attendants, most of them civilian volunteers being evacuated from Vietnam. The cargo compartment held 102 orphans and 47 others. A 10-person medical team had volunteered to take care of the sick. The adults would have their hands full caring for the children, some only a few days old, but the weather was good and the 60th Military Airlift Wing crew and its aircraft were tops in the airlift business. Spirits were high as Captain Traynor and copilot Capt. Tilford Harp guided the Galaxy through 23,000 feet on a heading of 136 degrees. All was well.

“Then at 4:15, 12 minutes after takeoff, there was what seemed to be an explosion as the lower rear fuselage was torn apart. Rapid decompression filled the plane with fog and a tornado of debris. The pressure door, most of the rear loading ramp (whose locks had failed), and the center cargo door had disappeared, leaving a gaping hole in the rear of the fuselage. Control and trim cables to the rudder and elevators were severed, leaving only one aileron and wing spoilers operating. Two of the four hydraulic systems were out. This was an emergency not foreseen by the C-5s builders or operators–a critical flight situation not covered in any flight manual. The lives of 328 people rested in the hands of Captain Traynor and his crew who, if any were to survive, had to invent a technique for managing a seemingly unmanageable aircraft. They had perhaps three minutes to solve that problem.

“Before damage assessment was completed, Captain Traynor found with the elevators inoperative, he had no pitch control. As the nose dropped, airspeed increased to 300 knots. The C-5 began to climb, approaching stalling speed. A bank to the right and simultaneous power reduction brought the nose down in a steep dive. Normal pilot reaction would have been to chop the power, but Traynor’s knowledge of aerodynamics told him better. Instead he added power and as airspeed increased the nose slowly came up. Climb toward a stall again was checked by a steep bank and power reduction. Coordinating their efforts, Traynor managed the aircraft’s pitch with changes in power settings while copilot Harp controlled roll with the one working aileron and wing spoilers. In this way, the pilots established a marginally controlled rate of descent at 250-260 knots. The lag between power adjustments and aircraft response was considerable. Great finesse would be needed to make a successful landing and that, if possible, at somewhere in the range of a screaming 250 knots.

“The aircraft was maneuvered gingerly to an altitude of 4,000 feet on a heading of 310 degrees in preparation for landing on Tan Son Nhut’s Runway 25L. About halfway through a turn to final approach, the rate of descent increased rapidly to 4,000 feet per minute. Seeing they couldn’t make the runway, Captain Traynor told copilot Harp to roll the wings level while he applied full power to bring the nose up. At 50 feet, Traynor retarded the throttles to idle and the C-5 touched down in a rice paddy. Skidding about 1,000 feet, the aircraft again became airborne for a half mile before hitting a dike and breaking into four parts. The cargo compartment was completely destroyed, killing 141 of the 149 orphans and attendants. Only three of 152 in the troop compartment perished. Five of the flight crew, three of the medical team, and three others lost their lives, but 175 of the 328 aboard survived.

“The Accident Investigation Board attributed the survival of any on board to Captain Traynor’s unorthodox use of power and his decision to crash-land while the aircraft was under some control. Captains Traynor and Harp were awarded the Air Force Cross for extraordinary valor during those terrifying 15 minutes.

“Once the wreckage came to rest, the flight and medical crews–many of them injured–performed countless acts of heroism in carrying the surviving orphans to safety. Thirty-seven medals were awarded to crew members or their next of kin. Flight nurse Regina Aune received the Cheney Award for 1975. (See June 1986 issue, “Valor,’) The crash of the Babylift C-5 was a tragedy that was saved from apocalyptic catastrophe only by a galaxy of heroes led by Capts. Dennis Traynor and Tilford Harp.” (Frisbee, John L. “Valor: A Galaxy of Heroes.” Air Force Magazine, Vol. 74, No. 8, Aug 1991.)

Gero: During the final days before the collapse of South Vietnam, the United States was engaged in a frantic effort to evacuate civilians and military personnel from the war-torn nation it had supported for more than a decade. One series of missions, dubbed Operation Babylift, involved the transport of hundreds of Vietnamese orphans, many the children of American service personnel, for re-location in the US. This particular flight would be conducted by the largest fixed-wing aircraft in use by the American forces, and would end in the worst single non-combat US military aviation disaster. Flown by the Military Airlift Command, the C-5A had taken off from Saigon’s Tan Son Nhut Airport, bound for the Philippines. Besides the children, the passengers included nurses and a number of other American civilians serving as escorts.

“Less than a quarter-of-an-hour into the flight, at 16:15 local time, while flying over the South China Sea on a heading of 136 degrees and at a position of 25 miles (40km) south-east of Vung Tau, South Vietnam, the rear cargo door and loading ramp blew off. This resulted in a rapid decompression that in turn ejected several victims out of the fuselage. In the process, the aircraft’s torque deck was ruptured, its rudder and elevators cables severed and two of its hydraulic systems rendered inoperative, resulting in a loss of pitch control. The crew was only able to maintain control using their flight spoilers, starboard aileron and engine thrust.

“Having turned back toward its point of departure, 68-218 began an approach to Runway 25L. In order to effect alignment with the runway, a left turn was initiated, but at this time the nose of the aircraft dropped. At that point, the pilot leveled out and set down in a rice paddy about 2½ miles (4km) short of the runway. Touching down at an approximate speed of 310mph (500kph) with its undercarriage extended and left wing slightly low, the wide-bodied jet transport became airborne briefly, and after the second impact with a dike on the western bank of the Saigon River, broke apart and burst into flames.

“Killed in the tragedy were 155 of the 330 persons aboard, including about 100 children and five members of the aircraft’s crew of 16 Air Force personnel; most of the survivors suffered injuries, some of them related to the in-flight decompression. The flight crew, who escaped serious injury, were later commended for displaying `great ingenuity and professionalism in coping with a critical situation which, as noted in the investiga¬tive report, was not covered in any flight manual. Two significant actions of the pilot were the increase of power after the initial loss of pitch control to arrest the descent of the aircraft and the leveling of the aircraft during the turn on to the final approach course, which probably prevented a complete loss of control.

“It was determined that the first three latches on the right side of the ramp became unlocked, resulting in the structural failure after the C-5A had ascended to just above 23,000ft (7,000m). An investigative board was unable to conclusively determine the specific reason for this, however, because a significant number of parts were not recovered. The ramp and part of the cargo door were later found by the US Navy, and a sequence of events was established leading up to their loss. Following the loss of support provided by the first three locks, the load was dynamically trans¬ferred through the ramp structure to the fuselage hinges and the four remaining locks of the right side, leading to a partial or complete failure of the tie rod between locks 3 and 4. Ultimately, the ramp was torn from right to left and both it and the pressure door separated from the aircraft….Prior to recommended changes in its locking system, the rear cargo door on all aircraft in the C-5A fleet would not be used for loading or unloading, and never again would one of the giant Lockheed trans¬ports be used to carry a large load of passengers.” (Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, 116-117.)

L’Ecluse: “Fairfield — The Travis crew thought they were just picking up a load of Howitzers and dropping them off in Saigon. Little did they know, 34 years ago, they would pick up the politically charged cargo of Vietnamese orphans for the trip out — and never make it past the China Sea.

“At about 4 p.m. April 4, 1975, the C-5A flown by Col. Bud Traynor and his Travis-based crew took off from Tan Son Nhut Airport in Saigon carrying a cargo of people — babies strapped two to a seat in the troop compartment and older children and adults strapped down to pallets or the bare floor in the cargo compartment below….

“They took off fast, gaining altitude quickly to avoid the rumored gunfire around Saigon, and headed west toward the Philippines.

“But 20 minutes into the flight the locks on the huge cargo door in the back burst apart and it broke away, ripping through most of the hydraulic controls of the plane. The resulting decompression sucked out a crew member and all of the identification and medical records of the children on board….

“The escorts upstairs tried to bring the oxygen masks down to the babies strapped in their seats but there weren’t enough to go around. The adults themselves couldn’t sit down — they didn’t have any seats at all.

“One boy, the 10-year-old son of a Defense Attaché Office employee, found himself trapped upstairs after an exploratory trip to the bathroom. The cargo door had ripped away the stairs to the cargo area — leaving a crew member hanging by his fingertips before others dragged him upstairs — and the boy couldn’t go back down to his mother. That fact would save his life.

“Flirting saved another life. The 18-year-old daughter of a DAO employee caught the eye of a Travis crewmember. A few jokes and asides later, the crewmember asked the girl and her mother to move upstairs where he was stationed. They did, joining those caring for the babies upstairs. The teen girl survived because of it. Her mother wasn’t as lucky.

“After its peripatetic journey back, the pilots caught sight of the airport. They dropped the landing gear — some of it manually, locking in place at the last moment — and banked for a final approach. But they couldn’t get the plane up high enough again. The gear had caused too much drag.

“With the airport just a few miles away, Traynor straightened out the aircraft and prepared to set down in a rice field. The first contact with the ground tore away some of the landing gear. Traynor thought the plane would slow to a stop, he said. But it didn’t. It went airborne again, jumping over the Saigon River, clipping some treetops as it passed and apparently plowing through a trio of Viet Cong on the river bank.

“The second touchdown wasn’t as soft. Friction tore away at the bottom of the plane, disintegrating the cargo compartment and most of the people inside. The plane broke into pieces — two fuel-laden wings plowing off to the right, the troop compartment to the left and the flight deck, upside down and turned around, up ahead.

“Traynor and the crew in the flight deck suffered few injuries as did most in the troop compartment. One adult died in the troop compartment, Barbara Adams, the mother of the flirtatious teen who had stood up after the first touchdown to exchange places with her daughter. She flew forward during the second landing, crashing against a wall.

“Traynor found medical crew member Phil Wise tangled in the wiring of the ceiling of the cargo compartment, which was the bottom of the flight deck and had broken away. After they got him down and sat him in the mud, he kept trying to crawl away. He couldn’t see. He’d lost an eye and was covered in blood.

“Helicopter pilots with Air America happened to be gathered at Tan Son Nhut to meet with a federal flight inspector. They monitored the flight and upon hearing the crash rushed to their aircraft. The choppers arrived at the scene in minutes. Some were able to land, the crew member on board usually leaping out to start gathering survivors. Other chopper pilots had to hover, just above the water-laden ground, as passengers passed children hand to hand, up into the craft.

“Lt. Regina Aune was one of those rescuing children. She helped evacuate about 100 children before she collapsed in the mud from her injuries. She was the first woman to receive the Cheney Award for humanitarian actions relating to an aircraft.

“The helicopters managed to evacuate the survivors in about 30 minutes. Even as they worked Vietnamese started to gather at the scene, going through debris. Crash investigators had to buy back many parts from villagers. When Traynor arrived at the scene the next day, he found a Vietnamese man wearing his flight jacket, name tag and all.

“Of the more than 320 people on board, more than 175 survived.

“The crash didn’t stop Operation Babylift. Many of the children on board that day left Saigon the next, leaving on a Pan Am flight. The Defense Attaché Office continued to evacuate U.S. civilian workers, only pausing for memorial services for the three dozen DAO people on board who died….

“The Northern California chapter of the Professional Loadmasters Association is named the Parker Aguillon Payne Chapter in honor of the three loadmasters who died in the crash….” (L’Ecluse, Kathleen. “Babylift Down – Travis crew’s skills avert complete disaster.” Daily Republic, Fairfield, CA. 4-2-2009.)

Manney: “….Only a few of the adult passengers, including some U.S. Embassy personnel covertly leaving Vietnam, managed to make their way to the limited oxygen masks. The overcrowded transport plane should have been carrying no more than 100 children, rather than the 243 who had been loaded aboard….

“Although there were conflicting reports of the casualties, more than 130 people died, including at least 78 children. Many Americans came to regard the crash as just one more in the long series of heartbreaking incidents during the ill-fated war in Vietnam….

“Prior to the fatal C-5A crash, New York’s Cardinal Terrence Cooke had sent a plea to President Gerald Ford for federal support and an immediate waiver of immigration red tape for more than 4,000 children living in Catholic orphanages in South Vietnam. With South Vietnam’s reluctant agreement, the order for Operation Babylift had come from the U.S. president…” (Manney, Kathy. “Operation Babylift: Evacuating Children Orphaned by the Vietnam War.” Originally published in Vietnam Magazine; published online 9-13-2006.)

McDonald: “In late March / early April of 1975, commercial aircraft had all seats leaving Saigon already filled to capacity. The war was at a pitch where the airport sustained shelling from time to time and the main flights out were military cargo planes. Our agency, as well as others in Vietnam at the time who were responsible for children in their care, were looking for ways children could join awaiting families. The other option, of being returned to an over-crowded orphanage, we knew, would be choosing a probable death for the child. Orphanages which ordinarily were used to meager resources now had very few means of acquiring medication and food.

“The U.S. government was providing an airlift for some Vietnamese persons who worked for US agencies and, every half hour, a cargo C-131 or C-141 would fly over our orphanage on its way out to Guam or the Philippines.

“On April 3, 1975, we were notified by USAID (United States Aid to International Development) that three Medevac “Nightingale” planes were in the Philippines and would be sent the next day to provide transportation for the children in our care.

“Then, the following day, April 4, 1975, we were told that plans had changed; that one of the world’s largest planes, a cargo C-5A (which stood about six stories high) had landed at Tan Son Nhut and had off-loaded military supplies… President Ford had heard of our request for transportation, had decided that the military would provide transportation, and called this effort Operation Babylift. The first of the Operation Babylift flights would be the C-5A cargo plane and would carry children in our care as well as wives and children of the US Defense Attaché office, the embassy and other U.S. personnel.

“When we realized the Medevac planes hadn’t materialized, the decision was made to put mainly the oldest children on board, children aged three and above. Also, I was to send 22 of the strongest infants in my care, who could be strapped into seats in the troop compartment of the huge plane. None of the high risk children from New Haven or Hy Vong would go on the flight.

“Each of the children had passports, documentation required for adoption and had been placed with adoptive families who were waiting for their arrival. The cargo hold of the C-5A was the size of a large gymnasium (it could hold more than 16 city buses parked side by side), had netting on the floor, and a few seats along the side of the plane. It was not configured for passengers, there were no seat belts, and no possibility for oxygen, should that be needed. Much later we learned that that specific plane had had trouble with its rear doors 17 times. Only later did we hear the tape (acquired by 20/20) with the pilot expressing his concern that if something should happen with decompression, there would be no way to safeguard the passengers. However, the pilot was instructed by the board master to proceed.

“Just 15 minutes after take-off – as the plane approached cruising altitude just over the South China Sea – the back doors blew out and, along with them, some crew, staff and children. The rudder control for the plane was lost, but the pilot was skillful and somehow was able to turn the plane back toward Saigon, however, with no control over speed of descent. Just outside of Saigon, the plane impacted in a rice field at 350 m.p.h., bounced over the Saigon River and eventually came to rest in a rice paddy a few miles from the airport. The pilot was later given well-deserved credit that anyone survived. Nurses at Saigon Adventist Hospital (the old Third Field Military Hospital for those of you who were there) phoned me (I was back at the nursery) and asked me to send child care workers. “They are bringing in your babies wounded” was the message. Rosemary Taylor and I jumped in a taxi. We rode to the hospital in complete silence in a ride that seemed to last forever and arrived at the ambulance entrance along with trucks, jeeps, conveyances of all kinds which were bringing in adults and children, some living, some badly injured and others, dead.

“In all, about 230 of our children and half of our staff had boarded the plane and at least 180 children, staff and US citizens were killed. One of our staff members, Christie Lievermann, survived, as well as some of the children, including the 22 whom I had boarded from New Haven. As I looked through body bags, attempting to identify persons, I became aware of the number of U.S. citizens, wives and children of American and U.S. government agencies who had also died on that plane.

“At the site we will have a memorial service [April 4, 2002]. Included also are the names of children and staff who died in the crash. We remember, too, the U.S. citizens, women, and children of the attaché office who also died in the crash, as well as members of the plane crew.” (McDonald, Sister Susan Carol. “In Memoriam – Babylift Memorial Page.”)

Mondout: “On April 4, 1975, an Air Force C-5A Galaxy carrying orphans from Vietnam as part of Operation Babylift crashed killing 98 of the 150 children and 155 of 328 on board.

“In April of 1975, the Ford Administration – hoping for a bit of good news out of Vietnam – announced it would send aircraft to Vietnam to help rescue children that had been orphaned during the war. Administration officials dubbed it Operation Babylift. President Ford, who unveiled the operation on April 2nd at a press conference in San Diego, was to meet the plane when it arrived in San Francisco. The operation would carry children who had lost both parents to war, “illegitimate” children of U.S. servicemen, and children abandoned by their starving mothers. It seemed also to fulfill a need to alleviate America’s guilt over what was a lost war.

“Ford not only announced the operation (to the dismay of military leaders who believed such a public evacuation might create panic), he specifically referred to the C-5A by name, “I have directed that C-5A aircraft and other aircraft especially equipped to care for these orphans during the flight be sent to Saigon. It’s the least we can do.”

“At the time, the Lockheed C-5A and it its builder were under intense scrutiny due to huge cost overruns and safety issues. (U.S. taxpayers were eventually ordered to pay not only $1.5B to fix the problems, but $150M in profit for the repairs to Lockheed as well!) Congress was debating whether to spend millions to fix the planes and Ford’s advisors hoped to prop up the aircraft and his presidency with a well-covered and well-intentioned mission. It was not to be.

“The C-5A Galaxy, which had just delivered a load of Howitzers, arrived from Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines on April 4. The C-5A is a cargo aircraft and not a passenger jet; there are no seats and very few oxygen masks in the back and no restrooms for the passengers. In addition to the 150 children, U.S. Embassy personnel were to be evacuated covertly on this flight. Even if all went as planned, this 20-hour journey to San Francisco was going to be unpleasant.

“The crew worried about what would happen if they had a problem at altitude. The cockpit voice recorder picked up these comments shortly before takeoff: “If we are up at 37 (thousand feet) and we have a rapid decompression, we’re gonna lose someone.”

“Twelve minutes after takeoff and at an altitude of nearly 29,000 feet (too high for humans to breathe), the unthinkable happened. The C-5A’s often criticized door locking mechanism failed at the back of the plane. A section of the tail blew off causing rapid decompression and numerous injuries. Crew members near the doors were sucked out immediately. Those that remained quickly lost consciousness due to a lack of oxygen (which had left the plane in less than a second).

“The flight crew, which donned oxygen masks immediately, noticed they were having trouble controlling the aircraft; some of the flying debris had severed a control cable. In a remarkable feet of flying, the crew managed to wrestle the stricken aircraft back toward the airport.

“They touched down in an open field two miles short of the runway, but did so at about twice the normal speed for landing. The huge aircraft bounced into the air and over the Saigon River before hitting an irrigation ditch and breaking up into four large sections over what is now the Mekong River Delta….

“Accident ‘Investigation’

“Air Force officials immediately blamed saboteurs. Lockheed blamed the Air Force for incorrect maintenance procedures and lawyers implicated Lockheed’s design deficiencies.

“On April 5th, shortly after a call was placed by Lockheed General Manager Larry Kitchen (who later became president of the defense giant) to General Carlson of Military Airlift Command, General Warner Newby – a close associate of Lockheed officials who had been the C-5A project manager for the Air Force – was put in charge of the still-secret investigation.

“An apparent Air Force cover-up ensued which involved the destruction of photographs of the crash site. An Air Force officer who admitted to burning the photos – all but the ones showing the part of the wreckage where most of the survivors came from – said he was only following Air Force regulations to destroy “non-pertinent” documents…. When litigation resulting from this crash reached the courts, a judge called this destruction “intentional” and “questionable”….” (Mondout, Patrick. “C5 Crashes in Vietnam During Operation Babylift.”)

Togetherweserved: “The eleven service personnel who died in or of injuries received in the crash were

Lt Col William S Willis, Coats NC, Air Ops Officer
Capt Mary T Klinker, Lafayette IN, Flight Nurse
Capt Edgar R Melton, Dallas TX, Pilot
MSgt Joe Castro, Fresno CA, Photographic Instrumentation Technician
MSgt Denning C Johnson, Dunn NC, Medical Service Technician
MSgt Wendle L Payne, Essex MO, Loadmaster
TSgt Felizardo C Aguillon, San Francisco CA, Loadmaster
TSgt William M Parker, Vacaville CA, Loadmaster
SSgt Donald T Dionne, Sylmar CA, Flight Engineer [sucked out when doors failed]
SSgt Kenneth E Nance, Los Angeles CA, Photographer
SSgt Michael G Paget, Woodland Hills CA, Medical Service Specialist
(Togetherweserved.com)

Defense Attaché Office Fatalities:

Robert Poulton. (Northwestvets.com. “Operation Babylift: (39).”)

Five Defense Intelligence Agency fatalities:

Celeste Brown,
Vivienne Clark,
Dorothy Curtiss,
Joan Pray and
Doris Watkins (US DIA. “Remembering the First Operation Babylift Flight.” 2-17-2012.)

“…all the ladies listed below perished in a plane crash near Tan Son Nhut Airfield on April 4, 1975…:

1. Barbara Adams
2. Clara Bayot
3. Nova Bell [Student, U of MD, Far East Div. (Illyria.com. “Operation Babylift.”)]
4. [Michael Bell, son of Nova (L’Ecluse, K.. “Remembering the Crash.” 4-6-2006)]
5. Arleta Bertwell
6. Helen Blackburn
7. Ann Bottorff
8. Celeste Brown [DIA, noted above]
9. Vivienne Clark [DIA, noted above]
10. Juanita Creel
11. Mary Ann Crouch
12. Dorothy M. Curtiss [DIA, noted above]
13. Twila Donelson
14. Helen Drye
15. [Rohn Drye, son of Helen. (L’Ecluse, K.. “Remembering the Crash.” 4-6-2006)]
16. Theresa Drye [child of Helen (Illyria.com. “Operation Babylift.”)]
17. Mary Lyn Eichen
18. Elizabeth Fugino
19. Ruthanne Gasper
20. Beverly Herbert
21. Penelope Hindman
22. Vera Hollibauth
23. Dorothy Howard
24. Barbara Kauvulia [Negotiation Division’s civilian secretary. (Summers 1995)]
25. Barbara Maier [DAO secretary. (L’Ecluse, K.. “Remembering the Crash.” 4-6-2006)
26. Rebecca Martin
27. Sara Martini
28. Martha Middlebrook
29. Katherine Moore
30. Marta Moschkin
31. Marion P. Polgrean
32. Robert Poulton
33. June Poulton (wife of Robert)
34. Joan K. Pray [DIA, noted above]
35. Sayonna K. Randall
36. Anne Reynolds
37. Margorie Snow
38. Laurie Stark [A teacher. (Illyria.com. “Operation Babylift.”)]
39. Barbara Stout
40. Doris Jean Watkins [DIA, noted above]
41. Sharon Wesley [American Red Cross. (Illyria.com. “Operation Babylift.”)]
(Northwestvets.com. “Operation Babylift: (39).”)

Nursery Staff:
Margaret Moses, Australian (Illyria.com. “Operation Babylift.”)]
Lee Makk, Australian (Illyria.com. “Operation Babylift.”)]
Dolly Bui and her children, David, Michou and Tina Bui,
Sister Ursula Lee,
Monique Ewald,
Birgit Blanc.
(L’Ecluse, Kathleen. “Remembering the Crash.” 4-6-2006.)

The children:
1. Andrew,
2. Henry Le Bailly,
3. Paul Nguyen Ngoc Bich Bauldault,
4. Hung Bernard,
5. Jill Bjorklund,
6. Ann Marie Blanc,
7. Ngoc Brandt,
8. Tran Tinh Nhu Chevallier,
9. Bob Chiodo,
10. Hai Cone,
11. Do Xuan My D’Anna,
12. Kim Hoa Deborah,
13. Thanh Deguine,
14. Mark Paul Desplanques,
15. Salandre DuBois,
16. Symphony Enget,
17. Vim Escriou,
18. Cuong Felce,
19. Geoffrey,
20. Diep Marie Giles,
21. Susi Gottschalk,
22. Genevieve,
23. Tran Van Hai,
24. Heiko Harke,
25. Hemar,
26. Jim Hentz,
27. Hoa,
28. Denis Howsam,
29. Khanh Huharski,
30. Quoc Kien,
31. Christine Laget,
32. Phuong Lange,
33. Jacques Binh Langlet,
34. Cuong LeMarie,
35. CS Lewis,
36. Lien,
37. Thuy Linh,
38. Be Lowe,
39. Tien Lowe,
40. Bach Mai,
41. Marcia,
42. Hy Vong McCauley,
43. Kim Oanh McCauley,
44. Mai Kristen McDermott,
45. Pascale McKay,
46. Dean McLaughlin,
47. Tran Dinh Meiller,
48. Minh,
49. Nancy Montladuc,
50. Helen Rosalie Murray,
51. Tom Otterson,
52. Gerald Peck,
53. Diedre Roukema.
54. Minh Schou,
55. Thanh Schou,
56. Sylvester Sudhoff,
57. Thy Sutton,
58. Tashini,
59. Lois Tracy,
60. Anne of Green Gables Tremblay,
61. Tuan,
62. Carsten Tam Tulli,
63. Viet,
64. Pascal Nhan Vilain,
65. Vincent,
66. Volker,
67. Desmond Hung Walker,
68. Phy Walkoe,
69. Janice Williams,
70. Elizabeth Dung Wilson
(L’Ecluse, Kathleen. “Remembering the Crash.” 4-6-2006.)

Wikipedia: “The Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident refers to the 4 April 1975 crash of 68-0218, a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy participating in Operation Babylift, which crashed on approach to an emergency landing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam. The cause was ascribed to loss of flight control due to explosive decompression and structural failure….

“Description

“Early in April 1975 with much of South Vietnam overrun by North Vietnamese forces, the administration of President of the United States Gerald Ford began instituting the evacuation of American citizens. To avoid alarming the host country, U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam Graham Martin authorized Americans to be flown out under several pretexts, one of which was Operation Babylift, in which American caregivers were paired with South Vietnamese orphans, most fathered by American servicemembers.

“On the afternoon of Friday, 4 April 1975, C-5 68-0218, making the first flight of Operation Babylift, departed Tan Son Nhut Air Base for Clark Air Base in the Philippines. There, this first group of orphans were to transfer to charter flights and be welcomed by President Ford upon arriving in the United States at San Diego, California. At 4:15 p.m. the C-5A was over the South China Sea about 13 nautical miles (24 km) off Vũng Tàu, South Vietnam, flying a heading of 136 degrees and climbing to an altitude of 23,000 ft (7,010 m). At that moment the locks on the rear loading ramp failed, causing the cargo door to open explosively. This caused explosive decompression, temporarily filling the cabin with a whirlwind of fog and debris. The blowout severed control cables to the tail, causing two of four hydraulic systems to fail, including those for the rudder and elevator, and leaving the flight control with only the use of one aileron, spoilers, and power.

“The pilot, Captain Dennis “Bud” Traynor, and copilot, Captain Tilford Harp, attempted to regain control of the airplane, and to perform a 180 degree turn in order to return to Tan Son Nhut. The aircraft began to exhibit phugoid oscillations, but the crew countered them and maintained a controlled descent of about 250 to 260 knots (288 to 299 mph; 463 to 481 km/hr). They were able to bring the plane to 4000 ft (1,219 m) and begin the approach to Tan Son Nhut’s runway 25L. While turning on final approach, the crew increased power to arrest a rapidly increasing descent rate. The plane touched down at 4:45 p.m. in a rice paddy, but skidded for a quarter of a mile (0.4 km), went airborne for another half mile (0.8 km), crossing the Saigon River, then hit a dike and broke up into four pieces. The fuel caught fire and some of the wreckage was set ablaze.

“Survivors struggled to extricate themselves from the wreckage. The crash site was in a muddy rice paddy near the Saigon River, one mile (1.6 km) from the nearest road. Fire engines could not reach the site, and helicopters had to set down some distance from the wreckage. About 100 South Vietnamese soldiers deployed around the site, which was near the site of an engagement with the Viet Cong the previous night.

“Out of 328 people on board, the death toll included 76 children, 34 Defence Attaché Office employees, five civilian dependents, 11 U.S. Air Force personnel, and eight nurses from foreign countries. There were 175 survivors. All of the surviving orphans were eventually flown to the United States. The dead orphans were cremated and reported to be interred at a Catholic cemetery in Pattaya, Thailand.

“Some members of the United States Congress called for a grounding of C-5s. In the end, the fleet was put under severe operational restrictions for a number of months while the cause was established. However, United States Department of Defense officials commented publicly about Traynor’s “remarkable demonstration of flying skill”. The U.S. Air Force Accident Investigation Board attributed the survival of any on board to Captain Traynor’s unorthodox use of power and his decision to crash-land while the aircraft allowed some control. Captains Traynor and Harp were awarded the Air Force Cross for extraordinary valor. Thirty-seven medals were awarded to crew members or their next of kin. Flight nurse Regina Aune received the Cheney Award for 1975.

“In June 1975, a sister of a woman who died in the crash filed a USD $200 million class action lawsuit against the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, charging negligence.

“Investigation

“Given the explosive manner in which the rear doors failed, sabotage was initially suspected. Many of the components were looted from the crash site, thereby complicating the investigation; the U.S. Air Force paid a bounty for parts from the wreckage in order to recover them from the local populace. The United States Navy amphibious cargo ship USS Durham (LKA-114), frigate USS Reasoner (FF-1063), and command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) were assigned to search for the flight data recorder in the South China Sea. The recorder was found, and U.S. Navy ships and helicopters also discovered wreckage from the doors in the South China Sea as well as the body of a C-5 crewmember.

“When the rear doors were eventually recovered from the sea, investigation determined that some of the locks had not engaged properly. Maintenance records showed that locks had been cannibalized for spares, then subsequently improperly refitted so that not all the door locks were engaging correctly. Furthermore, the flight crew confirmed that they had had difficulty closing the doors before take-off. As differential air pressure increased with altitude, the few locks that were working correctly were unable to bear the load, and the door failed.” (Wikipedia. “1975 Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident.” 3-6-2012 modification.)

Wikipedia: “….According to DIA figures, 138 people were killed in the crash, including 78 children and 35 Defense Attaché Office Saigon personnel.” (Wikipedia. “Operation Babylift.” 2-23-2012 modification.)

Young, Roger and Pam Young: “….Most of those who perished were in the lowest of three levels in what was then the largest aircraft in the world. A survivor of the crash stated: “Some of us got out through a chute from the top of the plane, but the children (and escorts) at the bottom of the plane didn’t have a chance.”

“Air Force Sgt. Jim Hadley, a medical technician from Sacramento, California, recalled later that oxygen masks dropped down automatically, but the children were sitting two to a seat and there weren’t enough masks to go around. “We had to keep moving them from kid to kid.”….

“South Vietnamese sources said three militiamen on the ground were killed when the airplane fell….

“The flight-recorder was recovered by a Navy diver on 7 Apr 1975 from the bottom of the South China Sea…..” (Young, Roger and Pam. “Operation Babylift: (39).” Northwestvets.com.)

Newspapers:

April 4: “Saigon (UPI) — U.S. Air Force C5 Galaxy plane carrying Vietnamese war orphans to the United States on the first flight of President Ford’s emergency Operation Babylift, crashed and burned today as the pilot fought to save his crippled plane. More than half of the 305 persons aboard were killed. The U.S. Embassy put the death toll at least 178 persons, most of them babies. Many of the victims were still missing and it was thought at least some of them were sucked out
of the plane when the two huge cargo doors blew off, suddenly decompressing the plane. The embassy said at least 100 children and up to 20 adults survived.

“The plane was ferrying 243 orphans ranging in age from 8 months to 12 years, most of them fathered by U.S. servicemen formerly stationed in South Vietnam. They were the first of the 2,000 orphans President Ford promised to fly to the United States, and he said the airlift would continue.

“The embassy said the plane also carried 44 U.S. mission escorts, 16 Air Force crewmen and the two flight nurses. The Pentagon said there were 10 medics and nurses aboard from Clark Field in the Philippines where the babies were to have been given a medical examination before flying to Travis AFB, Calif., and a personal welcome by President Ford….

“The survivors were on the upper deck with rows of babies strapped in seats that normally seat three adults in a row.

“The plane smacked into a paddy field, skittered across and broke into pieces. Fuel tanks burst into flames, sending up a pillar of smoke that could be seen in Saigon, five miles away….” (Daily Facts, Redlands CA. “At least 178 killed. Giant plane loaded with orphans crashes.” 4-4-1975, 1.)

April 5: “Saigon (UPI)…. U.S. Aid officials earlier this week had refused to allow the same group of orphans to board a World Airways charter plane because they believed it was unsafe to fly with youngsters strapped to the floor, as were some on the ill-fated flight Friday….” (Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. “Giant U.S. Plane Crashes with Viet War Orphans.” 4-5-1975, 1.)

April 9, Wisconsin State Journal: “N.Y. Times News Service. Saigon… In an effort to avoid panic among the Vietnamese, the embassy officially insists that U.S. Government employes are not being evacuated. But at the huge Defense Attaché Office at Tan Son Nhut air base, once known as Pentagon East, Americans are shredding their files and packing their belongings.

“Some of the more than 20 women killed in the crash of an Air Force C-5A transport last Friday carrying children were actually defense attaché office employes being evacuated, it is now known. They got on the flight by acting as escorts for the 243 children.” (Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “Saigon Americans Quietly Flee City.” 4-9-1975, 25.)

Sources

25th Aviation Battalion. Vietnam War Statistics and Facts. “Operation Babylift.” Accessed 3-22-2012 at: http://25thaviation.org/Facts/

Associated Press. “250 more orphans are on the way.” San Antonio Express, TX.” 4-7-1975, 2A. Accessed 7-6-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-express-apr-07-1975-p-2/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. Database 1975. “Friday 4 April 1975.” Accessed 7-7-2020 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19750404-0

Boyne, Walter J. “The Fall of Saigon.” Air Force Magazine, April 2000. Accessed 3-22-2012 at: http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2000/April%202000/0400saigon.aspx

Colimore, Edward (The Philadelphia Inquirer). “Operation babylift: When 2,500 children were evacuated from Vietnam.” Stars and Stripes, 3-11-2015. Accessed 7-7-2020 at: https://web.archive.org/web/20150314201704/http://www.stripes.com/military-life/military-history/operation-babylift-when-2-500-children-were-evacuated-from-vietnam-1.333701

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Daily Facts, Redlands, CA. “At least 178 killed. Giant plane loaded with orphans crashes.” 4-4-1975, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=160238243

Ferrara, Grace M. The Disaster File: The 1970’s. New York: Facts on File, 1979.

Frisbee, John L. “Valor: A Galaxy of Heroes.” Air Force Magazine, Vol. 74, No. 8, Aug 1991. At: http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/1991/August%201991/0891valor.aspx

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.

Lavalle, Lt. Col. A. J. C. (Ed.). Last Flight From Saigon. USAF Southeast Asia Monograph Series, Vol. IV, Monograph 6. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Partially digitized by Google and accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=TmSApdkHyWIC&vq=orphans&source=gbs_navlinks_s

L’Ecluse, Kathleen. Babylift Revisited (webpage). “Babylift Down – Travis crew’s skills avert complete disaster.” Daily Republic, Fairfield, CA. 4-2-2009. Accessed 7-6-2020 at: https://babyliftrevisited.typepad.com/babylift_revisited/2009/04/babylift-down-travis-crews-skills-avert-complete-disaster.html

Manney, Kathy. “Operation Babylift: Evacuating Children Orphaned by the Vietnam War.” Originally published in Vietnam Magazine; published online 9-13-2006. Accessed 3-22-2012 at: http://www.historynet.com/operation-babylift-evacuating-children-orphaned-by-the-vietnam-war.htm

McDonald, Sister Susan Carol. “In Memoriam – Babylift Memorial Page.” Accessed 3-22-2012 at: http://www.vietnambabylift.org/Memorial.html

Mondout, Patrick. “C5 Crashes in Vietnam During Operation Babylift.” Accessed 3-22-2012 at: http://www.super70s.com/Super70s/Tech/Aviation/Disasters/75-04-04(C5Vietnam).asp

Palazzo. “The 35th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon.” Salem-News, OR. 4-7-2010. Accessed 3-22-2012 at: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/april072010/fall-saigon-cp.php

Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. “Giant U.S. Plane Crashes with Viet War Orphans.” 4-5-1975, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=17552132

Togtherweserved.com. [Vietnam Operation Babylift C-5 Crash, 4-4-1975.] Accessed 3-22-2012: http://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=79818

United States Defense Intelligence Agency. “Remembering the First Operation Babylift Flight.” 2-17-2012 update. Accessed 3-22-2012: http://www.dia.mil/history/features/operation-babylift/

Wikipedia. “1975 Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident.” 3-6-2012 modification. Accessed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Son_Nhut_C-5_accident

Wisconsin State Journal, Madison. “Saigon Americans Quietly Flee City.” 4-9-1975, 25. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=105250608