Date & Time:
Nov 23, 1961
Type of aircraft:
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Elmendorf – Whitehorse – McChord – Ellington
Country:
Canada
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
7
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The C-119 took off from Whitehorse, following another Flying Boxcar, only minutes before the crash. Both were headed for McChord AFB, Washington, on a flight from Elmendorf to Ellington AFB, Texas. The planes and crewmen were returning home after participating in operation 'King Crab II', a joint armed forces maneuver held on Kodiak Island last week-end. The entire 446th troop carrier wing [reserve] from Ellington came to participate in the exercises. During initial climb, an unexpected situation forced five crew members to bail out. Few seconds later, the airplane dove into the ground and crashed 17 miles south of Whitehorse. Three men were found alive while the five occupants of the airplane and two parachutists were killed.
