Date & Time:
Jul 8, 1964
Type of aircraft:
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
Operator:
Registration:
60-0340
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Refuelling
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Larson - Larson
MSN:
18115
YOM:
1961
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The KC-135 was engaged in a refueling mission out from Larson AFB, Washington, and was carrying a crew of four. At an altitude of 26,000 feet, following a successful refueling mission of a USAF Republic F-105D-15-RE Thunderchief registered 61-0091, the crew of the KC-135 attempted to leave the area and the pilot-in-command made a turn to the right when the engine number four struck the cockpit window of the Thunderchief. Out of control, both aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a mountainous area located in the Death Valley National Park. All four crew members on board the KC-135 as well as the pilot of the Thunderchief were killed.
KC-135 crew:
Cpt Thomas F. Dozier, pilot,
1st Lt Erwin W. Boelter Jr., copilot,
1st Lt Ronald D. Williams, navigator,
S/Sgt Robert J. Graves, boom operator.
Thunderchief pilot:
Cpt Leonard F. Reynolds.
KC-135 crew:
Cpt Thomas F. Dozier, pilot,
1st Lt Erwin W. Boelter Jr., copilot,
1st Lt Ronald D. Williams, navigator,
S/Sgt Robert J. Graves, boom operator.
Thunderchief pilot:
Cpt Leonard F. Reynolds.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the midair collision remains unclear.
