1964-06-24: De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou (62-4196) — United States Army — Ridgeway, United States of America

7 fatalitiesRidgeway, United States of AmericaTakeoff (climb)

An aircraft crash during a military exercise resulted in seven fatalities and fifteen injuries after an engine failure occurred during takeoff.

What happened

During the 'Hawk Star I' training exercise, an aircraft was performing a departure from a remote airfield situated approximately five miles north of Ridgeway. Shortly after leaving the ground, the aircraft experienced the failure of one of its engines. This loss of power caused the plane to lose altitude, leading it to strike a fence.

The impact resulted in five fatalities among the occupants of the aircraft. Additionally, two soldiers who were performing maintenance on the fence at the time of the crash were also killed. A total of fifteen injuries were reported among those on board the aircraft.

Probable cause

The failure of one engine during the takeoff phase.