GET HOMEITUS?

A True Story From The Annals Of Clinton County Air Force Base History

By Paul Hunter

-GET HOMEITUS?

On a damp and cloudy Thursday morning in December of 1964 an Ohio Air National Guard KC-97G tanker 52-2920, of the 160 ARG, departed Clinton County Air Force Base on what was planned as a routine local training mission.-----

Several active-duty, enlisted crew members from the locally based navigation training unit were riding along in order to log flying hours to qualify for flight pay.

Prior to departure a request was made from the Governor’s off ice that the flight include a quick stop at Miami airport to pick up some civilian passenger seats for Governor Rhoads’ C-47. The crew chief of the gooney bird accompanied us on the flight,

For reasons lost to time, the crew was augmented with additional crewmembers. The crew consisted of an air tech Instructor pilot (IP), a Guardsman pilot who worked for the state highway department, a Guardsman co-pilot who was employed by Sears, a Guardsman navigator, an active duty air advisor boom operator and two technician flight engineers.

The narrator of this report dead-headed on the Clinton County to Miami leg that ended with an uneventful landing, loading of the seats and take off for home base. As I recall we did not pick up any seats. The contact at Miami airport knew nothing about passenger seats. So are trip to Miami was in vain.

With the narrator at the engineers panel, the return leg was uneventful up to the point when, crossing the Ohio River, the crew contacted home base. Clinton County reported low cloud cover, fog, rain and 0/0 visibility. After confirming that there was no chance of the weather changing that day the IP decided to divert and spend the night in Memphis and try to return the following day.

After spending a long night in the transit quarters without even basic toiletries or a change of clothes the crew gathered at Base operations and checked the Clinton County weather. The forecast was for only a slight change of conditions from the previous day but some clearing was expected as the day progressed, however there was no guarantees. The IP decided to give it a try and see if we could get in. The rest of the crew, being anxious to get home, supported his decision.

The narrator, having flown the previous days leg became a passenger for the home bound flight. We passengers were engaged in a heated game of hearts as we crossed the Ohio River. The game was momentarily interrupted by the information from the cockpit that the weather at Clinton County was still marginal. The Control tower was reporting 200 feet and one half mile visibility, the legal limit for landing

With the IP in the pilots seat for the expected low visibility approach and landing Ground Control Approach (GCA) was contacted for a radar-controlled approach to landing. At this time another tanker crew on the ground, who was monitoring our approach on radio informed the IP that they were waiting for him to get on the ground so that he could go to Bermuda with them.

On the first approach attempt GCA informed the pilot that he was at GCA minimum altitude and if he did not have the runway in sight to initiate a missed approach and go around for another attempt.

On the second approach, again at GCA minimum altitude, the co-pilot shouted that he had the runway in sight and the pilot continued the approach to landing. As the aircraft broke out of the fog cover the pilot saw that he was misaligned with the runway and the plane was heading directly toward a C-119 on the right that was awaiting take off clearance from the control tower. The pilot then made a violent left bank just a few feet above the ground that resulted in the left wing contacting the ground. The pilot then over corrected and the aircraft veered off the right side of the runway missing the 119. The plane plowed through the soft turf between the runway and the adjoining taxiway and headed toward the hangar and control tower area. To the narrator the plane appeared to be following its own uncontrolled course.

During this wild ride the narrator was in the rear compartment of the aircraft crouching behind the left scanners seat. Aware that escape hatches tend to get stuck in the airframe the narrator, with the boom operator’s assistance managed to remove the left rear hatch prior to impact.

The aircraft next struck the taxiway and as a result veered away toward the fuel and oil truck parking area.

The plane was going so fast that when the left external wing tank impacted and sheared off in an oil truck it was hardy noticeable. Next the number one engine smashed into the side of a 10,000 gallon fuel truck and we still rolled on for a bit. The aircraft finally rolled to a stop a few feet short of the rapidly vacating control tower.

The narrator and the boom operator were preparing to exit the left rear escape hatch using the escape rope when but when we looked out we saw a stream of fire coming from behind number two engine and like a liquid fuse heading for the destroyed fuel truck. Going to plan B we noticed that the right over wing hatch had been opened by some one coming from the cockpit and since the wing flaps were partially down several people made a sliding departure from the now burning aircraft. One of the passengers attempting to exit at the right rear escape hatch panicked and froze in the opening only to be kicked in the back by another passenger and he fell about 20 feet to the ground, injuring his back.

After counting heads and dragging the injured passenger clear we all got away from the burning plane as fast as we could.

Fortunately the rain had washed the fuel fuse away before it could reach the leaking fuel truck and a major explosion and secondary fire was avoided. The aircraft was consumed in flames but fire and rescue personnel were finally able to extinguish the flames but not before the aft section burned off and fell to the ground.

The only injuries were to the passenger and to a couple of crew who received rope burns on their hands due to not wearing gloves.

The narrative was written 43 years after the incident and memory fades a little in that time span. If readers find factual errors please feel free to send in correction or additions. This story is being published with the permission of the IP involved.

The narrator: Paul Hunter