Narrative:
A Lockheed C-130B Hercules transport plane, serial 61-0972, was destroyed when it crashed while on approach to Pleiku Airport (PXU), Vietnam. All five crew members were killed.
The airplane was operating on a dawn resupply mission carrying 30,000 pounds of bomb detonators. The crew were flying a straight-in approach when it was hit by ground fire at an altitude of approx. 1200 feet some 3 to 4 miles from the airport.
| Status: | |
| Date: | Thursday 6 January 1966 |
| Type: |  Lockheed C-130B Hercules |
| Operator: | United States Air Force - USAF |
| Registration: | 61-0972 |
| MSN: | 3669 |
| First flight: | 1962 |
| Engines: | 4 Allison T56-A-7 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | ca 5 km E of Pleiku Airport (PXU) ( Vietnam)
|
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Saigon-Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN/VVTS), Vietnam |
| Pleiku Airport (PXU/VVPK), Vietnam |
A Lockheed C-130B Hercules transport plane, serial 61-0972, was destroyed when it crashed while on approach to Pleiku Airport (PXU), Vietnam. All five crew members were killed.
The airplane was operating on a dawn resupply mission carrying 30,000 pounds of bomb detonators. The crew were flying a straight-in approach when it was hit by ground fire at an altitude of approx. 1200 feet some 3 to 4 miles from the airport.
Sources:
» Vietnam Air Losses : United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fixed-wing aircraft losses in Southeast Asia 1961-1973 / Chris HobsonPhotos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Saigon-Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Pleiku Airport as the crow flies is 382 km (239 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Saigon-Tan Son Nhat International Airport to Pleiku Airport as the crow flies is 382 km (239 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
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.
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