Incident Overview
Date: Friday 23 May 1969
Aircraft Type: Lockheed C-130E Hercules
Owner/operator: United States Air Force – USAF
Registration Number: 63-7789
Location: 48 km N off Alderney, Channel Islands –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Component Affected: C-130 aircraftC-130 aircraft
Category: Accident
A USAF crew chief at Mildenhall RAF Station, England, conducted an illegal flight of a C-130 aircraft over the Thames estuary, southward towards Brighton. Following crossing the English Channel, the aircraft then veered northwest, ultimately crashing into the sea approximately 30 miles north of Alderney Island. Reports suggest potential involvement by two F-100s of the 493 TFS, RAF Lakenheath, and RAF Lightning and Hunter jets.A USAF crew chief at Mildenhall RAF Station, England, conducted an illegal flight of a C-130 aircraft over the Thames estuary, southward towards Brighton. Following crossing the English Channel, the aircraft then veered northwest, ultimately crashing into the sea approximately 30 miles north of Alderney Island. Reports suggest potential involvement by two F-100s of the 493 TFS, RAF Lakenheath, and RAF Lightning and Hunter jets.
Description
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.
Source of Information
https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-44711694https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-44711694Primary Cause
Possible aerial encounter involving multiple aircraft, potentially resulting in a crash.Possible aerial encounter involving multiple aircraft, potentially resulting in a crash.Share on:
