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Anyone know the details on this picture


NATOPS1
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Here is the story I have been told:

Flight was DM to Loring, but over Vermont (I think 27,000'), without any warning, #3 didn't like one of its reduction gearbox gears and kicked it outboard to #4. That broke the blade on #4 and cause what you see. #3 prop assembly didn't like being on an airplane anymore and departed the A/C. It was found about a week later in VT or NH, where it actually cut down a 3-4 inch tree like a chain saw (former CC was given a Hercules chainsaw trophy of the tree). 23 minutes later we were safely on the ground at Pease where we conveniently shut down a SAC base & runway for 3-4 hours while the brakes cooled, until Grill could yank 'em off. Safety guys figured out, by listening to the cockpit voice recorder, that when this happened #3 oversped, tried to correct itself, then disintegrated. Took about a 1/2 sec for all this. If this happened the next day we would have been an hour or so from any terra ferma.

And yes, it is a Compass Call bird. Tail number 73-1592.

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Here's AC-130A 55-0044 (3071) from the gallery in Ubon in 3/72. According to Lars' book, #4 gearbox disintegrated and took out #3. It also took out #2 (you can see the feathered #2 prop in photo #1). They landed on one engine. It was repaired but later shot down over Laos by a SA-7.

Don R.

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Here's AC-130A 55-0044 (3071) from the gallery in Ubon in 3/72. According to Lars' book, #4 gearbox disintegrated and took out #3. It also took out #2 (you can see the feathered #2 prop in photo #1). They landed on one engine. It was repaired but later shot down over Laos by a SA-7.

Don R.

Kinda breaking the thread a bit, but I have a question.........It seems to me that the SA-7, at least in the Nam, was named " Strella." That is what I can remember, and my patch that says "SA-7 Flight Examiner " has that as well, I think. However I was readin' something a while back, and they called it "Grail", any thoughts???

giz

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Most of you are correct, however we (yes I was the FE on the plane) were going to Bangor Maine to RON. The next day we were scheduled to depart for England. This incident happened over upper New York, and yes it was inflight. Gear Box came apart at 22,000ft if I remember correctly, happened in September 1988/89 (long time ago). Took out number 4 engine. Did a two engine landing at Pease AFB. Melted the right brakes stopping the airplane. That’s the short story.

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Most of you are correct, however we (yes I was the FE on the plane) were going to Bangor Maine to RON. The next day we were scheduled to depart for England. This incident happened over upper New York, and yes it was inflight. Gear Box came apart at 22,000ft if I remember correctly, happened in September 1988/89 (long time ago). Took out number 4 engine. Did a two engine landing at Pease AFB. Melted the right brakes stopping the airplane. That’s the short story.

And a lot of bricks were shat.

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Looking for date of incident and details if avalible... Thanks.

(NOT PROP 1) that "box" is not on the original picture... Not sure how it got there...????

Here's a link to a bunch of pictures of the aircraft. Crew was damn lucky that a lot more damage didn't happen and there could have been a lot worse end to this.

http://smg.beta.photobucket.com/user/FTFFTW/library/Herk/Scratch%20and%20Dent%20Sale/73%201592%20EC%20H%20with%20thrown%20prop?start=all

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Thanks, FEC130

If I remember correctly, Tom King showed up at Rhein Main as a captain from Little Rock. A great guy to fly with. I ran into him at DM back in 1988 when I was putting together an A-model at the Western International salvage yard. I think he was a major then.

Don R.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The main gear (driven from the pinon gear, cant remember the right name for it right now) in the gearbox busted into three pieces, ruptured the gearbox letting the #3 prop leave the airplane.

One of the bits from the the #3 main gear flew over and chopped #1 blade of #4 prop in-half resulting in 29 MILLION (estimated) inch pounds of unbalanced force and twisted the prop over into the wing easy as can be. (my squadron, 7th ACCS did the accident investigation on this one).

different aircraft but another gearbox failure

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