1968 Kham Duc C-130 shootdown

The 1968 Kham Duc C-130 shootdown was the aircraft shootdown of a United States Air Force Lockheed C-130B Hercules aircraft during the Battle of Kham Duc on May 12, 1968. All 155 people on board were killed. At the time, it was the deadliest aircraft crash in history, to date is the deadliest aviation accident/incident on Vietnamese soil,[1][2] and remained the deadliest accident involving a U.S. military aircraft until Arrow Air Flight 1285 in 1985.

1968 Kham Duc C-130 shootdown
A C-130B similar to the shot down aircraft at Tan Son Nhut AB in 1969
Shootdown
DateMay 12, 1968
SummaryAircraft shot down by North Vietnamese Army
SiteKham Duc Airstrip, Kham Duc, South Vietnam
15.4382°N 107.7969°E / 15.4382; 107.7969
Aircraft
Aircraft typeLockheed C-130B Hercules
OperatorUnited States Air Force
Registration60-0297
Flight originKham Duc Airstrip, Kham Duc, South Vietnam
DestinationUnknown
Occupants155
Passengers149
Crew6
Fatalities155
Survivors0

The aircraft, commanded by Major Bernard L. Bucher, was participating in the evacuation of South Vietnamese civilians from the Kham Duc campsite. The C-130 approached the Kham Duc airstrip from the south and managed to land despite taking hits from opposing North Vietnamese forces. As soon as it landed, approximately 149 South Vietnamese rushed onto the aircraft. Once the aircraft was full, Major Bucher proceeded to take off in a northward direction, unaware that the North Vietnamese were concentrated in that area. According to eyewitness reports, the aircraft, under intense enemy mortar and small-arms fire, shook violently out of control, crashed into a nearby ravine less than a mile (1.6 km) from the end of the airstrip, and burned, killing all of the evacuees and the aircraft's crew of six.[3][4][1]

References
  1. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Lockheed C-130B Hercules 60-0297 Kham Duc". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
  2. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Vietnam air safety profile". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
  3. Gropman, p. 50
  4. Bowers, p. 345
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