C-130A #56-515 1965 Bitburg crash
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FROM C130NET D/B
"Crashed practicing an assault take-off from Bitburg AB, West Germany. An assault takeoff in the USAF was used if the runway available was less than critical field length. As a general rule USAF required a 3500 foot runway, but if needed and the crew was qualified it could go down to take off ground roll plus 500 feet. The pilot flew the aircraft into cloud and was either disoriented or just stalled from perhaps over rotated. The aircraft fell out of the cloud with all four engines running. They crashed onto the taxiway and had a reported 60 degrees nose low attitude when they came out of the clouds. They attempted to pull out but were way too late. Five crew and one passenger were killed."
I was in the 39th TCS at Lockbourne when this happened. It was on rotation to Evreux from Lockbourne. It was said that the plane came out of the clouds and if not for the GCA building it might have made it. It was supposed to have impacted the ground a couple hundred feet prior to lift off. I've never seen anything "official" and maybe it was all scuttlebutt but was interesting then and now.
Anyone ever hear or see anything "OFFICIAL" in the 57 years since the crash??
"Crashed practicing an assault take-off from Bitburg AB, West Germany. An assault takeoff in the USAF was used if the runway available was less than critical field length. As a general rule USAF required a 3500 foot runway, but if needed and the crew was qualified it could go down to take off ground roll plus 500 feet. The pilot flew the aircraft into cloud and was either disoriented or just stalled from perhaps over rotated. The aircraft fell out of the cloud with all four engines running. They crashed onto the taxiway and had a reported 60 degrees nose low attitude when they came out of the clouds. They attempted to pull out but were way too late. Five crew and one passenger were killed."
I was in the 39th TCS at Lockbourne when this happened. It was on rotation to Evreux from Lockbourne. It was said that the plane came out of the clouds and if not for the GCA building it might have made it. It was supposed to have impacted the ground a couple hundred feet prior to lift off. I've never seen anything "official" and maybe it was all scuttlebutt but was interesting then and now.
Anyone ever hear or see anything "OFFICIAL" in the 57 years since the crash??
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