Accident Overview
After departure from Boise-Gowen Field en route to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, the crew encountered technical problems with engine No. 2. They declared an emergency and elected to divert to Mountain Home Air Force Base. About 20 minutes into the flight, the No. 2 engine compressor disintegrated. The aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed 12 miles north of Bliss, Idaho. All six crew members on board were killed.
Crew
The crew consisted of Commander Lt Col Robert Buckout, pilot 1st Lt Lance Daugherty, navigator Cpt Geoffery Boyd, flight engineer CMSgt Jimmy Vail, and loadmasters M/Sgt Jay Kemp and S/Sgt Michael Scheideman.
Probable Cause
According to official findings, the crash resulted from a sequence of events involving the No. 2 engine, located on the inside left wing. A faulty undertemp sensor led the crew to enrich the fuel mixture, causing an actual engine overtemp. A fuel line subsequently ruptured or melted, igniting a fire. One crewman activated the fire extinguishing carts, but the fire re-erupted moments later, and no additional extinguishers were available for that engine. Of two pins designed to melt and release the engine during a fire, one failed to release properly while the other worked. Still partially connected to the wing hard point, the engine torqued at an awkward angle, producing severe damage to the wing and fuselage, which caused the crash.