 A Lockheed WC-130H Weatherbird, of the 54th Weather reconnaissance Squadron, in flight over the Pacific Ocean | |
| Disappearance | |
|---|---|
| Date | 12 October 1974 (1974-10-12) |
| Summary | Disappearance |
| Site | South China Sea |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed WC-130 |
| Operator | 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, United States Air Force |
| Registration | 65-0965 |
| Flight origin | Clark Air Base, Philippines |
| Destination | Clark Air Base, Philippines |
| Occupants | 6 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 6 (presumed) |
| Survivors | 0 (presumed) |
In 1974, a newly converted Lockheed WC-130H (Air Force serial number 65-0965) was transferred to the 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the "Typhoon Chasers", at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. The aircraft, using the call sign Swan 38, was sent to investigate Typhoon Bess after it passed over the Philippines and continued to the northwest. The crew departed Clark Air Base on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
Radio contact with Swan 38 was lost after 22:00 on 12 October 1974, apparently as the aircraft was heading into the typhoon's eye to make a second position fix during its alpha pattern. There were no radio transmissions indicating an emergency on board, and search teams could not locate the aircraft or its crew except for a few pieces of debris. All six crew members were listed as missing and presumed dead. The Swan 38 crew members were: Capt. Edward R. Bushnell, 1st Lt. Gary W. Crass, 1st Lt. Michael P. O'Brien, 1st Lt. Timothy J. Hoffman, Tech. Sgt. Kenneth G. Suhr, and Sgt. Detlef W. Ringler.
References
- "Lockheed WC-130H Hercules 65-0965 South China Sea". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
- ^ Tom Robison. Whiskey-Charlie! Retrieved on 2011-06-19.
| Aviation accidents and incidents in 1974 (1974) | |
|---|---|
| Jan 6 Commonwealth Commuter Flight 317Jan 6 Aeroflot Flight H-75Jan 24 Togo crashJan 26 Turkish Airlines Flight 301Jan 30 Pan Am Flight 806Feb 22 Delta Airlines Flight 523Mar 3 Turkish Airlines Flight 981Mar 13 Sierra Pacific Airlines Flight 802Mar 15 Sterling Airways Flight 901Apr 4 Francistown Wenela Air Services Douglas DC-4 crashApr 18 Court Line Flight 95Apr 22 Pan Am Flight 812Apr 27 Aeroflot Il-18 crashJul 10 EgyptAir Tupolev Tu-154 crashJul 23 British Airways bombing attemptAug 9 Buffalo 461Aug 9 Norfolk mid-air collisionSep 8 TWA Flight 841Sep 11 Eastern Air Lines Flight 212Sep 15 Air Vietnam Flight 706Oct 12 United States Air Force WC-130 disappearanceOct 30 Panarctic Oils Flight 416Nov 20 Lufthansa Flight 540Dec 1 TWA Flight 514Dec 1 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231Dec 4 Martinair Flight 138Dec 22 Avensa Flight 358 | |
| 1973 ◄ ► 1975 |
 | This article about an aviation accident is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |