What's Considered The Worst Accident In The History Of US Air Force?

Soon after people figured out how to power a vehicle and fly through the sky, accidents quickly followed. The Wright Brothers first flew in 1903, and by September 1908, a Wright Flyer crashed, killing an Army observer and seriously injuring Orville Wright. The Army Air Corps had its fair share of accidents, and they continued when it was renamed the U.S. Air Force. Accidents are a factor in the operation of any heavy machinery, but when a plane crashes, it's often deadly for large numbers of people.

There have been plenty of accidents in the military, some of which have included nuclear weapons. For general aircraft accidents, there have been those that destroyed incredibly expensive vehicles, but a seriously terrible accident comes when a lot of people are hurt or killed. The deadliest accident to befall the U.S. Air Force occurred in 1952 when a Douglas C-124 Globemaster II loaded with personnel crashed near Moses Lake, Washington.

That accident was deadly, and it primarily impacted members of the Air Force. Another deadly accident that is likely more well-known occurred at the Flugtag '88 airshow at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. That accident involved members of the Italian Air Force. Still, because the crash took place at an American-operated air show, it's considered to be the deadliest Air Force accident that primarily impacted civilians. Sadly, both calamities are a drop in the bucket of overall accidents involving the Air Force over the past century.

The worst accident for the U.S. Air Force occurred on December 20, 1952, near Moses Lake, Washington. The aircraft involved was, at the time, one of the most powerful military transport aircraft used by the service, a Douglas C-124 Globemaster II. When it happened, it was the deadliest crash in U.S. aviation history, though that distinction has sadly been surpassed. For the Air Force, it was a horrific disaster that occurred shortly after the takeoff of a plane tapped for Operation Sleighride, which brought servicemembers who fought in the Korean War back, so they could return home for Christmas.

The plane took off from Larson Air Force Base, with its planned destination being Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. Moments after takeoff, one of the plane's wings struck the ground, causing the aircraft to turn into a cartwheel. This tore the plane apart, only 2.5 miles from takeoff, resulting in a massive explosion that killed 82 passengers and five of the 10 crew members serving aboard the plane.

Only 23 of the 105 passengers survived the crash, which was the result of pilot error. The investigation found that the plane's rudder gust locks, which are used to keep wind from causing unexpected changes in an aircraft's movement, as well as the elevator, weren't properly disengaged before takeoff. The crash was quick and fatal, and it remains the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Washington state, more than 70 years since it occurred.

The worst Air Force disaster to impact civilians more than servicemembers occurred at the 1988 air show at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The accident occurred with more than 300,000 people in attendance at Flugstag '88, where cloudless skies set the tone for what should have been an impressive and safe display of aerial acrobatic maneuvers. The participants included numerous teams from NATO member nations, including the Italian Frecce Tricolori team. The planes took off at 3:40 p.m., and four minutes later, a disastrous mid-air collision occurred.

It came during a crossing pattern at a low altitude just above the runway when one aircraft struck another. Two damaged planes crashed into the taxiway, with one taking out an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The other burst into flames and cartwheeled, rolling through an emergency access road and right into the crowd. Only around seven seconds passed between the mid-air collision and the destruction on the ground, as the planes were 150 feet above the runway when it happened.

The list of resulting casualties was extensive, as it included three Italian pilots flying the planes, one of whom ejected successfully, but his parachute failed to open. Another 66 spectators were killed, half of whom died instantly on impact. Others died in the days and weeks that followed the crash. Outside of the deaths, 346 spectators were seriously injured, with hundreds more receiving minor injuries, making the Ramstein air show disaster the deadliest such accident at a U.S. Air Force base. However, a deadlier air show crash occurred in Ukraine in 2002, which killed 78 people, though Americans weren't involved.