To Tx Rick: My name is Sonny Naranjo CMSGT USAF (ret.) I was the Loadmaster assigned to this crew. I was assigned to the 776 TAS just 5 months prior to the crash and decided I did not want to go on leave because i wanted to save it so your dad took my place.
To Tx Rick: My name is Sonny Naranjo CMSGT USAF (ret.) I was the Loadmaster permanantly assigned to this crew. I was assigned to the 776 TAS just 5 months prior to the crash of 1841. I decided I did not want to go on leave with my crew because I wanted to save it so your dad Sgt Maas took my place. Maj. Ed King was a very domineering Aircraft Commander who was always very hard on Lt Hicks the Copilot and the rest of us on the crew. Each time we took off Maj King instructed Lt Hicks to immediately raise the landing gear when the aircraft lifted off the ground. He would lower the nose to momentarily to stay in ground effect and then would pull up hard on the yoke so that the aircraft would climb quicker. The runway at Guam had a slight incline at mid point and at the end. I believe that Maj King may have used this take off procedure and the aircraft inadvertently contacted the ground hard at midpoint and then struck the runway a second time at the end exploding and going off the cliff.
I think about this accident and the loss of those fine men I served with all the time. I live in San Antonio now so I hope this brings a little more closure to friends and loved ones.
Sonny
