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C-141 Tail Number: 64-0652

Date:unknown, approx Nov 1968
Location:Yokota AB, Japan
Copyright: Nicholas Williams

Date:unknown
Location:unknown
Copyright: Nicholas Williams

This aircraft and crew was lost in an accident near Knoxville, TN, on 31 August, 1982.

The extremely experienced crew elected to continue a low-level airdrop mission in mountainous terrain during marginal weather.

The local SOLL I training mission departed Charleston shortly before 1300 hours. The crew was extremely experienced. The Aircraft Commander was recognized as the airdrop expert at Charleston and was well known within the C-141 community. The Copilot was a Flight Examiner.

The aircraft entered VR-92 at 1350 local time. Weather along the route was reported, by other aircraft as 4500 feet Overcast, tops to 8000 feet, with zero visibility below 4500 feet due to rain showers, ragged ceiling, multi-layered stratus and fog. Route weather was below MAC minimums.

Radar plots by Atlanta Center tracked the aircraft on the route. At 1427, the plots showed the aircraft in a progressive climb from 2500 feet. The aircraft impacted 4908 foot John's Knob in the Tellico Wildlife Area, 118 feet short of the peak. At the time of impact the aircraft was in a slight climb of 4-5 degrees (approximately 2000 feet per minute). There were no survivors among the crew of nine. Speculation was that the crew was attempting to use the recently installed Bendix color radar in the MAP mode, for terrain avoidance. The flight recorder and cockpit voice recorder were unrecoverable.

Two years earlier, this Aircraft Commander had been commanding a mission during Red Flag. On a low-level mission, soon after crossing a ridge, #1 engine flamed out. When the scanner went to investigate, he noticed that the outboard 4 feet of the left wing was missing. It had been sliced off by contact with the terrain when the aircraft crossed the ridge in a steep bank, at a very low attitude. The crew made a successful emergency recovery to Nellis AFB. The aircraft was eventually repaired.

The above information was provided by Paul Hansen

Here's a few newspaper clippings from the Charleston area published shortly after the crash.

On Feb 2, 2007, C141Heaven received the following email from Boone Barnes, a former C-141 Navigator.



I've been reading over the wonderful C-141 web site and came across an error in the C-141 Lifetime Mishap Summary compiled by Lt Col Paul Hansen regarding the 31 August 1982 crash of a Charleston SOLL I mission.

In the last paragraph of the report on this accident LtCol Hansen states :

"Two years earlier, this Aircraft Commander had been commanding a mission during Red Flag. On a low-level mission, soon after crossing a ridge, #1 engine flamed out. When the scanner went to investigate, he noticed that the outboard 4 feet of the left wing was missing. It had been sliced off by contact with the terrain when the aircraft crossed the ridge in a steep bank, at a very low altitude. The crew made a successful emergency recovery to Nellis AFB. The aircraft was eventually repaired."

I was one of two nav's on the 1980 Red Flag mission and was the wing tactics nav when the SOLL I mission crashed. Major Bob Meeks was the A/C of the SOLL I mission. He may have been one of the A/C's who took part in the Red Flag deployment, but he was not the A/C of the aircraft that struck the ridge. Captain Mike Hay was our A/C on that aircraft. Although maybe not the intent, this error in the report makes it sound like Bob Meeks was reckless, which is not the case.

Also, although not included as a major mishap, I believe the Red Flag accident was a class A accident (over $1 million), at least that's what we were told. Number one engine did not flame out either. It would have, but the T-handle was pulled to shut it down. The crew also knew we had hit the ground without the scanner going to the back to report it. I knew when the aircraft shuddered violently that we had. And when Mike Hay looked out the window and shouted "aw s#%t", that confirmed it. There were in fact, several times during that flight that I tought we were going to hit the ground. There was also more than 4 feet of damage to the left wing. All the outboard portion to include all of the left aileron was gone.

I wanted to set the record straight that the pilot of those two missions were not the same individual.

Boone Barnes, Maj USAF ret.

On September 21, 2007, C141Heaven received the following email from Paul Wood.

I am doing some research on a 141 mishap and would like to obtain as much information as possible about the accident. I am looking for individual accounts of the incident, as well as photos, news articles, and the like.

On 31 Aug, 1982, a 141B (SN 64-0652) crashed in a remote area in the NC mountains.

My father, Col H.E. Wood, USAF-ret, was stationed at Scott AFB at the time, and sat in on the accident review board meeting. I recall him telling me of the event (when it happened), and given the fact that we have a home in the mountain's of NC, I have been telling myself that I was going to head up to the site, and locate its exact location. I did this on the 25th anniversary of the flight.

In attempting to find the best ingress to the site, I located John's Knob (crash site) on a map, and was pleased to see that it was right off a 'scenic highway' that connects NC to TN. This stretch of highway, which is, and will always be, totally undeveloped from a commercialized standpoint, is approximately 23 miles in length, with numerous scenic overlooks. Each overlook as a large information board which identifies historical data, as well as misc info on MSL altitude, trees indigenous to the area, wildlife, etc.... One such pull off is within a half mile of John's Knob, and it too, has info consistent the others.



What I find particularly disturbing is the fact that on this particular 'board' there is no reference whatsoever of the fact that nine US servicemen lost their lives less than a half mile away.

What is even more disturbing (to me at least) is the fact that the board makes reference to a burial site that is approx a quarter mile away from the 141 impact area - yet does not acknowledge the fact that NINE USAF crew members, for all intents and purposes, are STILL buried throughout that mountain top.



There is a roadbed that goes up to the crash site, and both the road and the actual site itself is maintained by the State of NC.


The road leading to the site


Looking up to the crash site

The grass is cut on both the road going up, as well as the 'field' that was created as a result of the aircraft reclamation- yet nowhere, neither by the road nor anywhere near the site is a marker, or a memorial, of any kind. This is both wrong, and sad. That will change.


Looking Towards John's Knob

I am going to be getting with both the Air Force and the State of NC to ensure a memorial is placed by both the road, as well as being added (in some shape, form, or fashion) to the signage a half mile away. There will also be a marker at the crash site itself; this memorial will honor those nine people that lost their lives serving this country, as well as the mighty aircraft they flew. This is only fitting and proper.

I've obtained the official USAF Mishap Report from Kirtland AFB. -- it's very limited in content. Any additional information anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated. My father, being a flight crew member for over 20 years (Nav) and I are working on achieving this objective together, and we will come short off nothing less that success in our endeavor to have the site memorialized in the honor of the aforementioned.

If somebody has ANY information on this flight and its crew, we would appreciate it be forwarded on to me.

Thank you,

Paul Louis Wood, Sr.
Col. Horace E. Wood, Jr - USAF-Ret.

Last Updated: Saturday, September 22, 2007 07:12 am

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