Incident Overview
Date: Wednesday 13 January 1999
Aircraft Type: Boeing KC-135E Stratotanker
Owner/operator: Air National Guard
Registration Number: 59-1452
Location: Geilenkirchen Airport (GKE) –
ÿ Germany
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Component Affected: Horizontal stabilizer trimHorizontal stabilizer trim
Category: Accident
An operational aerial refueling mission resulted in a catastrophic crash due to a runaway trim motor. The aircraft experienced a pitch-up attitude, which triggered a stall and subsequent crash.An operational aerial refueling mission resulted in a catastrophic crash due to a runaway trim motor. The aircraft experienced a pitch-up attitude, which triggered a stall and subsequent crash.
Description
Returning from an operational aerial refueling mission, the aircraft pitched up to a near vertical attitude and subsequently stalled and crashed. The pitch up was the direct result of the horizontal stabilizer trim being in a 7.5 nose-up trim condition when the aircraft was given power to complete a go around prior to landing. The apparent cause is now understood to be a runaway trim motor, the crew failed to notice, and when power was applied, the aircraft pitched up and stalled. The cause of the runaway motor is still unknown.
Primary Cause
Runaway trim motorRunaway trim motorShare on:
