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Tachikawa air disaster
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Tachikawa air disaster
On June 18, 1953, a United States Air Force (USAF) Douglas C-124 Globemaster II aircraft crashed three minutes after takeoff from Tachikawa, Japan, killing all 129 people on board. At the time, the crash was the deadliest in aviation history.
The aircraft was a USAF Douglas C-124A-DL Globemaster II of the 374th Troop Carrier Group, serial number 51-0137. It was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-4360-20WA engines.
The aircraft carried 122 passengers and 7 crewmembers. Most of those aboard were airmen who were returning to their duties in South Korea after a five-day rest and recreation leave in Japan. The commander of the aircraft, Major Herbert G. Voruz Jr., 37, had logged more than 6,000 flying hours. The pilot, Major Robert D. McCorkle, was also an experienced aviator. Another pilot, Major Paul E. Kennedy, was on board to log additional flying time.
The aircraft departed Tachikawa Air Base for Seoul at 16:31 JST. Just one minute into the flight, the aircraft's No. 1 (outer left) engine burst into flames. Voruz immediately shut down the engine and radioed that he was returning to Tachikawa. ATC asked if he wanted a ground-controlled approach (GCA), which Voruz accepted; during this, he could be heard shouting "Give me more power! Give me more power!" to the flight engineer. Ground control asked if he could maintain altitude; Voruz replied "Roger". However, as the pilots prepared to return to the airfield, the left wing stalled, causing the aircraft to roll to the left and enter a shallow, but unrecoverable, dive. In desperation, the pilots attempted to pull up, but in vain. Ground control asked if they were declaring emergency, but received no reply. At around 16:33, the flight disappeared from radar screens. At 16:34, the C-124 crashed into a watermelon patch about 3.5 miles from the airbase and exploded on impact.
Sergeant Frank J. Palyn, 434th ECB, who witnessed the crash from his car, said:
At this instant she seemed to hit an air pocket because she dropped. After this drop of several hundred feet she went into a left hand spiral dive. The maximum height of the plane, I would estimate to be approximately 800 to 1200 feet. At first I thought the plane would make a rough belly landing. The airplane's unusual path of flight seemed to be due to the power being furnished by the right two engines. They seemed to be pulling the plane around and dragging the left wing behind at an angle causing the spiral prior to the crash. The plane itself seemed to head towards the ground at this angle and the left wing, nose approaching the ground first with the tail at an angle to the right and above. I could not state for certain that the plane hit in this manner but can be reasonably sure because of the fraction of a second which I lost sight of it behind the hedge. Immediately upon contact with the ground she seemed to explode and burn.
The two starboard engines reportedly kept running for some time after the crash.
Air base and local fire department crews were soon on the scene, followed by chaplains and identification teams. A temporary morgue was set up as victims were retrieved from the wreckage.
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Tachikawa air disaster
On June 18, 1953, a United States Air Force (USAF) Douglas C-124 Globemaster II aircraft crashed three minutes after takeoff from Tachikawa, Japan, killing all 129 people on board. At the time, the crash was the deadliest in aviation history.
The aircraft was a USAF Douglas C-124A-DL Globemaster II of the 374th Troop Carrier Group, serial number 51-0137. It was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-4360-20WA engines.
The aircraft carried 122 passengers and 7 crewmembers. Most of those aboard were airmen who were returning to their duties in South Korea after a five-day rest and recreation leave in Japan. The commander of the aircraft, Major Herbert G. Voruz Jr., 37, had logged more than 6,000 flying hours. The pilot, Major Robert D. McCorkle, was also an experienced aviator. Another pilot, Major Paul E. Kennedy, was on board to log additional flying time.
The aircraft departed Tachikawa Air Base for Seoul at 16:31 JST. Just one minute into the flight, the aircraft's No. 1 (outer left) engine burst into flames. Voruz immediately shut down the engine and radioed that he was returning to Tachikawa. ATC asked if he wanted a ground-controlled approach (GCA), which Voruz accepted; during this, he could be heard shouting "Give me more power! Give me more power!" to the flight engineer. Ground control asked if he could maintain altitude; Voruz replied "Roger". However, as the pilots prepared to return to the airfield, the left wing stalled, causing the aircraft to roll to the left and enter a shallow, but unrecoverable, dive. In desperation, the pilots attempted to pull up, but in vain. Ground control asked if they were declaring emergency, but received no reply. At around 16:33, the flight disappeared from radar screens. At 16:34, the C-124 crashed into a watermelon patch about 3.5 miles from the airbase and exploded on impact.
Sergeant Frank J. Palyn, 434th ECB, who witnessed the crash from his car, said:
At this instant she seemed to hit an air pocket because she dropped. After this drop of several hundred feet she went into a left hand spiral dive. The maximum height of the plane, I would estimate to be approximately 800 to 1200 feet. At first I thought the plane would make a rough belly landing. The airplane's unusual path of flight seemed to be due to the power being furnished by the right two engines. They seemed to be pulling the plane around and dragging the left wing behind at an angle causing the spiral prior to the crash. The plane itself seemed to head towards the ground at this angle and the left wing, nose approaching the ground first with the tail at an angle to the right and above. I could not state for certain that the plane hit in this manner but can be reasonably sure because of the fraction of a second which I lost sight of it behind the hedge. Immediately upon contact with the ground she seemed to explode and burn.
The two starboard engines reportedly kept running for some time after the crash.
Air base and local fire department crews were soon on the scene, followed by chaplains and identification teams. A temporary morgue was set up as victims were retrieved from the wreckage.
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