Flight

The gunship was engaged in an aerial attack from Phù Cát when it was shot down by enemy fire in the region of Pleiku. Six crew members survived while three others were killed. Those killed were Cpt Donald Lewis Merry, Maj Richard William +1. Wackerfuss.

Braniff Flight 352 departed Houston (HOU) at 16:11 for a flight to Dallas (DAL) and climbed to FL200. Some 25 minutes into the flight, the L-188A Electra was approaching an area of severe thunderstorm activity. The crew requested a descent to FL150 and a deviation to the west. ARTCC then advised the crew that other aircraft were deviating to the east. The Electra crew still thought it looked all right on the west and were cleared to descend to FL140 and deviate to the west. At 16:44 the flight was further cleared to descend to 5000 feet. At 16:47 the aircraft had apparently encountered an area of bad weather, including hail, and requested (and were cleared for) a 180° turn. Subsequent to the initiation of a right turn, the aircraft was upset. During the upset, N9707C rolled to the right to a bank angle in excess of 90° and pitched nose-down to approximately 40 degrees. A roll recovery maneuver was initiated and the aircraft experienced forces of 4,35 g. Part of the right wing failed and the aircraft broke up at an altitude of 6750 feet and crashed in flames a little later. There was no survivor among the 85 occupants.

While cruising in clouds, the airplane went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion near the Chaklala Airbase. All 22 occupants were killed, most of them civilians.

Several C-130 Hercules transport planes were used to fly supply runs to an airstrip at A Loui. The aircraft approached under low clouds, airdropping the supplies from the rear ramp. Several aircraft were hit by enemy ground fire. The 21st supply aircraft was hit by .50 calibre and 37 mm ground fire. A fire erupted in the cargo hold and the crew attempted to jettison the burning load while the pilot attempted a forced landing on the airstrip. The airplane struck trees, crashed and burst into flames. All eight occupants were killed, among them two photographs.

The single engine was engaged in a local skydiving exercice, carrying one pilot and three soldiers/skydivers. While in cruising altitude, the pilot stabilised the aircraft and the first skydiver jump out of the cabin when he apparently struck the stabiliser. The pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed in an open field located between the villages of Garderen and Elspeet. The pilot and a second parachutist were injured while the first skydiver and a second parachutist were killed.

The pilot was completing a positioning flight when control was lost. The airplane crashed into the sea off San Juan. Some debris were found a day later but no trace of the pilot who was presumed dead.

The aircraft had taken off from Ballykelly in Northern Ireland on an anti-submarine exercise early on the morning of the 19th April 1968, it is reported to have been tasked with located a Royal Navy submarine that was in the area. The area that day was shrouded in thick sea mist and at about 10:30 the aircraft was heard in the area south of the Mull of the Kintyre shortly after as it climbed up through the mist the aircraft struck rising ground near Garvalt cottage killing all 11 crew members instantly.
Crew:
S/Ldr Robert Clive Leonard Haggett, pilot,
F/O David Robert Burton, pilot,
F/O Michael Creedon, pilot,
F/Lt Roger John Duncan Denny, navigator,
F/Lt George Craigie Fisken, navigator,
Sgt John Richard Frank Creamer, flight engineer,
F/Lt Rodney Hellens, air electronic officer,
F/Sgt Thomas Frederick Anglin Buttimore, air electronic officer,
Sgt Bruce Robert Dixon, air electronic officer,
M/Sig Ronald Cecil Stratton, air signaller,
Sgt Nathaniel Michael Duffy, air signaller.
Source: www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk

A failure of the electrical system in flight forced the pilot to reduce his altitude and to attempt an emergency landing. While cruising in the vicinity of Corinth, the pilot attempt to land in an open field when the airplane struck trees and crashed in flames. The pilot and a passenger were killed while two other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

The airplane departed Hultburt Field AFB at 0800LT on a training mission under call sign Moose 09. The assigned mission was a routine SEA serial spray training flight. The formation proceeded to a point 25 nm northwest of Panama City, Florida (the designated spray training area), arriving there at 08:35 CST. At this time a series of simulated defoliation runs were conducted over an open field. At approximately 08:50 CST Aircraft 54-0602 assumed the number three position in a right echelon formation for practice defoliation runs along a series of roads. At the completion of the first run the lead aircraft gave a command to place the aircraft in a "piggy back" formation, then climbed from 150 feet AGL to approximately 300 feet AGL and executed a 270 degree turn to the right. While in this turn the Number Three aircraft contacted the ground in a left wing low position, cartwheeled, immediately caught fire and was destroyed. The instructor pilot, two student pilots, and the flight engineer sustained fatal injuries.

The twin engine airplane departed the oasis of Al-Bahariya on a flight to Cairo, carrying a crew of two and seven passengers, among them one child. En route, weather conditions worsened and the pilot apparently lost his orientation. In such conditions, the crew decided to reduce his altitude and attempted an emergency landing. The airplane belly landed in a desert area located approximately 100 km northeast of Al-Bahariya. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair while all nine occupants survived the accident. Rescue teams were unable to localize the airplane and all nine occupants died of thirst few days later. The wreckage was eventually found by camels more than three years later, on June 1st 1978.