1966 — Jan 25, USAF transport in-flight magnesium fire/crash ~Binh Khe, So. Vietnam–46

–47 New York Times/UPI. “47 Americans Die in Vietnam Crash.” 1-25-1966, p. 1.
–47 United Press Inter. “All 47 Yanks Aboard C123 Die in Viet Crash.” 1-25-1966, p.1.
–46 AP. “Allies Gird for Attack as Air Crash Kills 46.” Arizona Republic, Phoenix. 1-26-1966, 3.
–46 Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. 25 Jan 1966 USAF C-123K Provider.
–46 (all) Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 91.
–46 Iowa Veterans Remembering Project. “Harry Richard Crumley, U.S. Air Force Captain.”

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network:
“Date: Tuesday 25 January 1966
“Type: Fairchild C-123K Provider
“Operator: United States Air Force – USAF
“Registration: 54-702
“MSN: 20151
“First flight: [not noted]
“Crew: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
“Passengers: Fatalities: 42 / Occupants: 42
“Total: Fatalities: 46 / Occupants: 46
“Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
“Location: 9 km (5.6 mls) E of An Khe (Vietnam)
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: An Khe Air Base, Vietnam
“Destination airport: Bong Son Landing Zone, Vietnam
“Narrative:

“The C-123 transport plane carried 42 U.S. Army troops and a load of ammunition and grenades. It was raining and the cloud ceiling was at just 300 feet when the transport plane took off from An Khe, Vietnam. Shortly after takeoff the airplane flew into a hillside. Reportedly the airplane had suffered a no. 2 engine fire just prior to impacting the hillside.”

Gero:
“Date: 25 January 1966 (c.10:15)
“Location: Near Binh Khe, South Vietnam
“Operator: US Air Force
“Aircraft type: Fairchild C-123B (54-702)

“The twin-engine transport crashed and burned 300 miles (480km) north-east of Saigon and approximately 5 miles (10km) east of the An Khe airfield, from where it had taken off less than 10 minutes earlier. All 46 American servicemen aboard, including a crew of four Air Force personnel, were killed. The accident occurred as the aircraft was on a South Vietnamese internal flight to Bong Son, its passengers comprising army troops. Banked slightly to the right, the C-123 initially struck trees atop a 2,000ft (600m) hill, which sheared off about 20ft (6m) of its starboard wing and half of its horizontal stabilizer/elevator assembly. It then rolled uncontrollably to the right and slammed to earth inverted. At the time of the crash, the weather in the area consisted of broken clouds at 1,000ft (300m) and an overcast of 2,500ft (750m). Operating under a visual flight rules (VFR) clearance, 54-702 had last been observed proceeding normally in an easterly direction and at a low altitude below a ragged layer of clouds prior to the crash.

“An examination of the No. 2 power plant revealed that an in-flight magnesium fire had consumed the carburetor, accessory and blower sections, and that at the moment of impact the corresponding propeller was windmilling under little or no power. Of unknown significance was that the same engine had stopped twice on the ground before the transport took off. The exact cause of the blaze could not be determined, but all the components from the firewall to the point that the fuel entered the blower case to the fuel feed valve were suspected. Whatever maintenance or operating factors may have led or contributed to the accident were not disclosed by Air Force authorities. Noted in the investigative report were the hazards faced by such Vietnam-era flights, including hostile action, inadequate navigational aids and the fact that they were often conducted under VFR in marginal meteorological conditions.” (Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 91.)

Newspaper

Jan 25, UPI: “Saigon (UPI) – Forty-seven American servicemen were killed today when their Air Force C123 transport crashed into a jungled hillside of the Vietnamese Central Highlands and burst into flames, exploding the ammunition aboard. It was the worst American crash of the war. The plane carried 43 members of the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division’s 7th Regiment and four U.S. Air Force crewmen from the 315th Air Commando Squadron.

“It was not known if enemy gunfire brought the plane down, but witnesses reported it struck a line of trees near the Deo Mang Pass at An Khe, 250 miles north of Saigon, rolled downhill and burst into flames. The plane had just refueled prior to taking off and the load of gasoline sprayed flaming death over the hillside. The troops were heavily armed and would have been carrying mortar shells, a U.S. military spokesman said.

“The worst single military plane crash came last December when 81 persons, most of them Vietnamese, were killed.

“The GIs were being taken on a routine flight to a staging area in what the spokesman called ‘marginal’ flying weather. Air Force and Army officials flew to the crash scene to begin investigation….

“Spec. 4 Michael G. Vinassa of Los Angeles, Calif., was on guard duty atop the Deo Mang Pass when the plane crashed. He described how he watched the aircraft come low over the pass and then circle back as if it were trying to return to An Khe. ‘The plane hit the trees, rolled down the hill and burst into flames,’ Vinassa said….” (United Press International. “All 47 Yanks Aboard C123 Die in Viet Crash. Worst Air Tragedy of Viet War.” 1-25-1966, p.1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Allies Gird for Attack as Air Crash Kills 46.” Arizona Republic, Phoenix. 1-26-1966, p. 3. Accessed 5-15-2022: https://newspaperarchive.com/dunkirk-evening-observer-jan-25-1966-p-1/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. 25 Jan 1966 USAF C-123K Provider. Accessed 5-15-2022 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19660125-0

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

Iowa Veterans Remembering Project. “Harry Richard Crumley, U.S. Air Force Captain.” Accessed 5-15-2022 at: https://iowaveterans.uni.edu/veterans/harry-richard-crumley

New York Times/United Press International. “47 Americans Die in Vietnam Crash.” 1-25-1966, p. 1. Accessed 5-15-2022 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1966/01/25/79286190.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0

United Press International. “All 47 Yanks Aboard C123 Die in Viet Crash. Worst Air Tragedy of Viet War.” Evening Observer, Dunkirk-Fredonia, NY. 1-25-1966, p.1. Accessed 5-15-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dunkirk-evening-observer-jan-25-1966-p-1/