Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident

1975 Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident

Lockheed C-5 Galaxy US Air Force, the aircraft involved
Accident summary
Date	4 April 1975
Summary	Explosive decompression caused by negligent maintenance
Site	near Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam
Passengers	311
Crew	17
Fatalities	155
Survivors	173
Aircraft type	Lockheed C-5A Galaxy
Operator	United States Air Force
Registration	68-0218
Flight origin	Tan Son Nhut Air Base
Destination	Clark Air Base, Philippines

On 4 April 1975, a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy participating in Operation Babylift crashed on approach during an emergency landing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam. The cause was ascribed to loss of flight control due to explosive decompression and structural failure. The accident marked the second operational loss and first fatal crash for the C-5 Galaxy fleet, and is the deadliest accident involving a U.S. military aircraft.

Early in April 1975 with much of South Vietnam overrun by North Vietnamese forces, the administration of US President Gerald Ford began instituting the evacuation of American citizens. To avoid alarming the host country, U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam Graham Martin authorized Americans to be flown out under several conditions, one of which was Operation Babylift, in which American caregivers were paired with South Vietnamese orphans, most of them fathered by American servicemen.

On the afternoon of Friday, 4 April 1975, C-5 68-0218, making the first flight of Operation Babylift, departed Tan Son Nhut Air Base for Clark Air Base in the Philippines. This first group of orphans would then transfer to charter flights and be welcomed by President Ford upon arriving in the United States at San Diego, California. At 4:15 p.m. the C-5A was over the South China Sea about 13 nautical miles (24 km) off Vũng Tàu, South Vietnam, flying a heading of 136 degrees and climbing to an altitude of 23,000 ft (7,010 m). At that moment the locks on the rear loading ramp failed, causing the cargo door to open explosively. This caused explosive decompression, temporarily filling the cabin with a whirlwind of fog and debris. The blowout severed control cables to the tail, causing two of four hydraulic systems to fail, including those for the rudder and elevator, and leaving the flight control with only the use of one aileron, spoilers, and power.