Status: | |
Date: | Friday 23 May 1969 |
Time: | 06:55 |
Type: | Lockheed C-130E Hercules |
Operator: | United States Air Force - USAF |
Registration: | 63-7789 |
MSN: | 3856 |
First flight: | 1963 |
Crew: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
Total: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
Location: | 48 km (30 mls) N off Alderney, Channel Islands ( United Kingdom)
|
Phase: | En route (ENR) |
Nature: | Illegal Flight |
Departure airport: | Mildenhall RAF Station (MHZ/EGUN), United Kingdom |
Destination airport: | - |
Narrative:A USAF crew chief at Mildenhall RAF Station, England, took the C-130 on an illegal flight. He flew over the Thames estuary and headed south toward Brighton. After flying over the English Channel, it appears that he turned northwest. North of Cherbourg he changed direction, heading south to a point 30 miles north of Alderney Island. There the aircraft crashed into the sea.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the aircraft was possibly shot down by two F-100s of the 493 TFS, RAF Lakenheath, UK or RAF Lightning and Hunter jets there were scrambled.
Classification:
Loss of control
Sources:
»
Was the newlywed mechanic who stole a plane shot down? (bbc.com, 8 July 2018)
Photos
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.