Incident Overview
A squadron was tasked with a fly-past to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), in conjunction with other base aircraft. After the fly-past, the three CC-130 crews planned to recover on runway 29 using a low-level 'battle' break maneuver.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft positioned themselves in echelon right with wingspan spacing. The briefed procedure was to pull 10° and turn left with 60° of bank, maintaining 2 G's and climbing to 1,000 feet AGL to position downwind. Number 2 and number 3 would follow with three-second spacing. After approximately 50° of turn at 900 feet AGL, number 2 collided with the underside of the lead aircraft forward of the left main gear, punching a 5-foot-square hole in the aircraft floor structure.
Aftermath
The number 2 aircraft's forward fuselage section separated and fell into a field. The number 3 and 4 propellers separated and landed some distance from the main wreckage. The tail section of the lead aircraft also separated before ground impact. Control of either aircraft after the collision was impossible. Both aircraft crashed inverted. A building and several vehicles were destroyed in a very intense fire. The four occupants of the lead aircraft and the six occupants of number 2 all sustained fatal injuries. The crew of the lead aircraft were: Captain Lonnie Benjamin Register Jr. (pilot), Captain Kevin Ernest Gerald Kennedy (copilot), Captain Brian John Tulloch (navigator), and Sergeant Robert Harry Brown (flight engineer).
Investigation Findings
The official investigation board assigned cause factors as follows: Personnel – Pilot – Technique: The pilot (Trucker Lead) deviated from the briefed battle break profile, causing loss of designed time, vertical, and horizontal separation between Lead and Trucker 2. Personnel – Pilot – Inattention: The pilot (Trucker 2) lost visual contact with Lead and continued the maneuver through impact without reacquiring Lead. Personnel – Supervision/435 Squadron – Inattention: Squadron supervisory personnel assigned pilots to perform a maneuver in the CC130 for which they were inadequately trained, and in the case of two pilots, had no training at all. Personnel – Management/435 Squadron, CFB Edmonton, ATGHQ – Information: The absence of police with respect to air display maneuvers permitted planning and conduct of an unpublished procedure. There were no written instructions or standard operating procedures describing the CC130 battle break; the maneuver was widely used and condoned at all levels.