43 fatalities

1970-10-02: Lockheed C-130 Hercules (64-0536) — United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) — Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei, TaiwanFlight

On October 2, 1970, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules (registration 64-0536) operated by United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Taipei, Taiwan in flight. 43 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft struck the mountain due to an unidentified navigational error that caused the flight path to deviate from the assigned heading. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 1781235897Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft crashed into a mountainside approximately 30 km southeast of Taipei during its initial climb, resulting in the loss of all 43 people on board.

What happened

On October 2, an aircraft departed from Taipei-Songshan Airport at 14:01 local time, with a planned destination of the Ching Chuan Kang Airbase in Taichung. Shortly after takeoff, air traffic control instructed the crew to climb to an altitude of 6,000 feet while maintaining a heading of 252°.

Six minutes into the flight, the aircraft collided with the slope of a mountain situated roughly 30 km southeast of Taipei. The peak involved in the collision reaches an elevation of 6,150 feet. Following the incident, search efforts located the wreckage on October 8, positioned approximately 10 meters below the summit. The accident resulted in 43 fatalities, with no survivors among the occupants.

Findings

Investigations into the crash revealed that the aircraft was not following the assigned flight path at the time of impact. While the crew had been cleared to a heading of 252°, the plane was actually traveling on a course of 210°. This deviation from the requested track was identified as a primary factor in the collision, though the specific reason for this navigational error remained undetermined.

Probable cause

The aircraft struck the mountain due to an unidentified navigational error that caused the flight path to deviate from the assigned heading.