Incident Overview
Date: Sunday 12 May 1968
Aircraft Type: Lockheed C-130B Hercules
Owner/operator: United States Air Force – USAF
Registration Number: 60-0297
Location: Kham Duc –
ÿ Vietnam
Phase of Flight: Initial climb
Status: Destroyed
Casualties: Fatalities: 155 / Occupants: 155
Component Affected: Hercules 60-0297Hercules 60-0297
On May 12, 1968, following a prolonged North Vietnamese assault on the Kham Duc camp, U.S. Hercules 60-0297 immediately initiated an extraction operation. The aircraft was dispatched to assist in evacuating civilians, resulting in a catastrophic crash in a ravine.On May 12, 1968, following a prolonged North Vietnamese assault on the Kham Duc camp, U.S. Hercules 60-0297 immediately initiated an extraction operation. The aircraft was dispatched to assist in evacuating civilians, resulting in a catastrophic crash in a ravine.
Description
On 12 May 1968, shortly after 12:00 hours, the U.S. forces decided to immediately extract all personnel from the beleaguered Kham Duc camp, because the North Vietnamese Army had been attacking the camp for over a day. Hercules 60-0297 was called in to assist in getting as many civilians out of Kham Duc as possible. The Hercules took on as many passengers as it could and took off immediately, while under an intense enemy mortar and small arms attack. Apparently, the Hercules was hit because eyewitnesses reported seeing the aircraft shake violently out of control, then turn and crash in an eruption of smoke and fire in a nearby ravine, approximately 1 mile from the end of the airstrip.
Primary Cause
North Vietnamese Army (NAA) mortar and small arms attacks.North Vietnamese Army (NAA) mortar and small arms attacks.Share on:
