Flight | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

In the morning, three USAF Lockheed HC-130H Hercules departed Clark AFB (Angeles City) on a SAR mission following the sinking of the Japanese ship christened 'Shoka Maru' which was cruising from Japan to Cambodia and sank in the Bashi Canal. While cruising at low height off the Batanes Islands, the airplane struck the top of a wave and crashed into the sea. A passenger was rescued while 13 other occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the crew was flying at an insufficient altitude and the sea was rough with 6 to 10 meters hollows.

Crash of a Douglas EC-47Q near Saravane: 10 killed

Date & Time: Feb 5, 1969

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

45-1133

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Pleiku - Huế

MSN:

17136/34403

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was on a radio direction finding mission from Pleiku to Huế when the airplane was shot down by enemy fire and crashed about 40 km southeast of Saravane. The wreckage was found in October 1969 and all 10 crew members have been killed.
Crew:
Maj Homer Morgan Lynn,
Cpt Walter Francis Burke,
Maj Harry Tilman Niggle,
Maj Robert Eugene Olson,
M/Sgt Wilton Neil Hatton,
S/Sgt James Vernon Dorsey,
S/Sgt Rodney Herschel Gott,
S/Sgt Hugh Leslie Sherburn,
T/Sgt Louis John Clever,
Sgt Clarence Leon McNeill.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Grumman P-16A Tracker off Ilha Grande: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 28, 1969

Type of aircraft:

Grumman S-2 Tracker

Operator:

Registration:

7022

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Rio de Janeiro - Rio de Janeiro

MSN:

751

YOM:

1958

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Few minutes after its takeoff from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport, the twin engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea some 30 km off Ilha Grande. All four crew members were killed, among them Lt Luís Gonzaga Villas Boas, pilot, and 2nd Lt José Roberto Mendes Pereira da Ponte, copilot.

Crash of a Rockwell Aero Commander 720 Alti Cruiser in Klamath River: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 18, 1969 at 1805 LT

Type of aircraft:

Rockwell Aero Commander 720

Operator:

L. Chesterfield

Registration:

N4831C

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Executive/Corporate/Business

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Fresno - Eugene

MSN:

720-760-10

YOM:

1959

Location:

Klamath River

California

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

695

Captain / Total hours on type:

154.00

Circumstances:

While cruising by night in marginal weather conditions (rain and fog), the pilot informed ATC about an engine failure. Shortly later, the airplane went out of control, entered a dive and crashed near Klamath River, north of California. The wreckage was found a day later and the pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the probable cause of the accident was that the carburetor on one engine failed after encountering icing conditions. It was reported that the aircraft was not equipped with de-icing equipments.

Crash of a Douglas C-47A-90-DL near Huế: 12 killed

Date & Time: Jan 16, 1969 at 1345 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

949

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Huế – Đà Nẵng

MSN:

20415

YOM:

1944

Location:

Huế

Thừa Thiên–Huế Province

Country:

Vietnam

Region:

Asia

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising in poor weather conditions, the airplane struck trees and crashed on the slope of a wooded mountain. The wreckage was found few hours later and all 12 occupants were killed.

Crash of a Beechcraft C-45H Expeditor in Chihuahua: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jan 12, 1969 at 1030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor

Operator:

Aero Laguna

Registration:

XB-ROI

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Aerial photography

Survivors:

Site:

City

Schedule:

Chihuahua - Chihuahua

MSN:

AF-859

YOM:

1954

Location:

Chihuahua

Country:

Mexico

Region:

Central America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The aircraft was engaged in an aerial photography mission, carrying two pilots and five photographers/filmmaker. En route, the twin engine aircraft collided in unknown circumstances with a North American T-6 Texan carrying two pilots. Both aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in the district of Comarca Lagunera, in Chihuahua. All nine occupants in both aircraft were killed.

Crash of an Antonov AN-2 near Malka: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 10, 1969 at 1133 LT

Type of aircraft:

Antonov AN-2

Operator:

Registration:

CCCP-70940

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – Kozyrevsk – Esso

MSN:

1116 473 16

YOM:

1959

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

6557

Circumstances:

On the leg from Khalaktyrka to Kozyrevsk of a flight from Khalaktyrka to Esso when the crew decided to take the route over the mountains instead of the route along the valleys although the weather conditions did not allow such deviation. The aircraft entered clouds and crashed under control at a height of 1,230 metres on the slope of a mountain (1,280 metres) located in the Ganalskiye gory range, some 16 km east of Malka (Yelizovo district of Kamchatka). The airplane then slid down on the slope for 700 metres before coming to rest in the valley of the Zubastaya River. Both pilots were killed while all 11 passengers were injured (8 of them seriously). The wreckage and the survivors were found a day later, on 11JAN69.

Probable cause:

Wrong decision on part of the flying crew who deviated from the published procedures and followed a non-compliant route. The accident was the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo near Jamestown: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 6, 1969 at 2040 LT

Type of aircraft:

Piper PA-31-310 Navajo

Operator:

Suse Company

Registration:

N440DL

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Executive/Corporate/Business

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Location:

Jamestown

Tennessee

Country:

United States of America

Region:

North America

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

176

Circumstances:

While cruising by night in marginal weather conditions, the pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed on the top of a hill. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Loss of control for undetermined reason. The following contributing factors were reported:
- Icing conditions including sleet and freezing rain,
- Turbulences associated with clouds and thunderstorm,
- Snow,
- Witnesses heard the aircraft circling at low altitude.

Final Report: