Accident Details
The aircraft departed Dow AFB for a training and refueling mission. While at an altitude of 30,000 feet and preparing to refuel with a USAF KC-125, the pilot-in-command reduced the speed too much, causing the airplane to stall and enter a dive. Two crew members were able to bail out before the aircraft crashed in a huge explosion near Silver Hill.
Crew
The crew consisted of eight members:
- Cpt William Donald McCullen, pilot (†)
- Cpt William Woody Farmer, copilot (†)
- Cpt Robert Marsh Morgenroth, radar navigator (†)
- Cpt George William Beale, observer (†)
- S/Sgt James Howard Fults, gunner instructor (†)
- A1C Robert Nathaniel Gaskey, gunner student (†)
- Maj Wilbur Fred Minnich, navigator
- 1st Lt Glen Charles Farnham, EWO
Six crew members were killed; two survived.
Probable Cause
The official probable cause was pilot error.