1984 — Feb 29, USAF C-130 Hercules Plane Crash, near Borja, Spain –(17 US) of 18
–18 ASN. Accident description. USAF Lockheed C-130E Hercules, NW of Borja, Spain
–18 Baugher, Joseph F. 1968 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-10-2012 revision.
–18 Combat Control Net. “This Day in CCT History.” 4-3-2009.
–18 Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, 137-138.
–18 Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, IN. “U.S. C-130 Crashes in Spain Killing 17…” 2-29-1984, 6
–18 Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt. “AF transport crashes in Spain; 18 men die.” 3-1-1984, 1.
–18 Stars and Stripes. “Air Force hunts for clues, identifies Spain crash victims.” 3-2-1984, 9.
Narrative Information
Aviation Safety Network:
“Time: 20:12….
“Date: 28 Feb 1984
“First flight: 1969
“Crew: Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
“Passengers: Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11
“Total: Fatalities: 18 / Occupants: 18….
“Location: 4 km (2.5 mls) NW of Borja (Spain)
“Phase: En route….
“Departure airport: Zaragoza Airport…Spain
“Destination airport: Zaragoza Airport…Spain
(ASN. Accident description. USAF Lockheed C-130E Hercules, NW of Borja, Spain)
Baugher: “Lockheed C-130E-LM Hercules….10944 (c/n 382-4324) with 435th TAW crashed near Borja, Spain Feb 29, 1984. 18 killed.” (Baugher, Joe F. 1968 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-10-2012 rev.)
Combat Control Net: “On 28 February 1984, Pararescueman SSgt Scott A. Anderson was killed in a C-130 crash. On board the same C-130 were seven Combat Controllers:[1] Capt. Roderick C. Gress, TSgt Larry A. Rainey, SSgt Victor A. Valley , SSgt Eddy D. Clark, Sgt Emilio F. Martinez, Jr, Sgt Jonathon Goerling, and Sgt Steven M. Ray. The PJ and CCT were on board to conduct a training parachute jump. The C-130E, tail number 68-10944 took off from Zaragoza Spain on a low-level jump training mission. Weather in the area included a 1200 feet ceiling and 6 km visibility. The C-130 struck a mesa near Borja Spain at an elevation of 2200 feet. In addition to the eight jumpers, there were seven crew members, and three passengers for a total of eighteen fatalities. This was the largest loss of Combat Controllers in a single plane crash in the history of CCT. The cause of the accident was pilot error.” (Combat Control Net. “This Day in CCT History.” 4-3-2009.)
Gero: “Date: 28 February 1984 (c.19:30)….
“Operated by the Military Airlift Command, the four-engine turboprop transport was on an aerial delivery training mission and had been cleared for a low-level supply drop before it crashed and burned 30 miles (50km) north-west of Zaragoza Air Base. All 18 servicemen aboard lost their lives; except for a Spanish officer, the victims were American personnel, including the aircraft’s nine-member crew.
“The C-130 had struck the south face of a mesa at an approximate elevation of 2,200ft (670m), or less than 200ft (60m) from the top, at a comparatively low air speed of around 150mph (250kph), while on a north-north-westerly heading, with its wings level, nose slightly raised and flaps extended to 50 degrees. The crash occurred in darkness, and the local weather was overcast, with a ceiling of 1,200ft (350m) and a visibility of approximately 31/2 miles (6km). There was little or no wind. Although the causative factors were omitted in the investigative report on the accident, releasable findings did not reveal any evidence of pre-impact structural, instrument or electrical failure, or propeller/power plant malfunction in the aircraft.” (Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, pp. 137-138.)
Newspapers
Feb 29, UPI: “Borja, Spain (UPI) — A U.S. military plane on maneuvers in northeast Spain crashed into a hill during a snowstorm and broke apart, killing all 17 American airmen and a Spanish observer on board, officials said today.
“U.S. Air Force officials in West Germany, where the plane was based, said all 18 bodies were recovered from the burned hulk of the Hercules C-130 turbo prop by Spanish and American searchers about 12 hours after it went down Tuesday.
“Spanish air force officials in Madrid said the plane’s doors apparently were open when it crashed and some of the airmen had pulled their parachute ripcords, either in preparation for the exercises or to try a last-ditch escape before impact.
“The crash site was in hills 35 miles northwest of the U.S. air base at Zaragoza and about two miles south of the village of Borja, authorities said.
“”We have been informed by Zaragoza that all 18 bodies have now been found. There were no survivors,” said Lt. Col. William H. Johnson, spokesman at the Air Force’s European headquarters in Ramstein, West Germany. “We have no idea as yet what caused the crash.”
“The plane, attached to the 435th Tactical Airlift Wing at Rhein-Main Air Base near Frankfurt, was on temporary exercises in Spain, he said.
“The plane disappeared in the snow-covered hills Tuesday night. The Spanish air base at Ablitas in the province of Navarre reported a distress call from the pilot, who advised he had to make an emergency landing.
“Spanish Air Force officials in Madrid said the crash site was located with the help of the plane’s automatic emergency distress signal. The plane had been at Zaragoza for several days on maneuvers that included paratrooper drops, said Chief Master Sergeant Al Stromwall at Air Force European headquarters in Ramstein, West Germany. The plane went down while en route to a drop zone northwest of Zaragoza, Strom wall said.
“The C-130 had a crew of 10 officers and enlisted members and six combat controllers (paratroopers) from Rhein-Main, as well as a para-rescue specialist from Zaragoza air base in Spain,[2] and one Spanish officer who was on board as an observer,” said Master Sgt. Roy Adams in Ramstein….The Spanish observer was identified as Capt. Francisco Guardiolo Gago.
“It was the eighth crash of a U.S. military plane or helicopter in Spain since March of 1978.” (UPI. “U.S. C-130 Crashes in Spain Killing 17 American Airmen.” Pharos-Tribune, Logansport IN. 2-29-1984, p. 6.)
March 1, Stars and Stripes: “A U.S. Air Force transport plane on maneuvers in northeastern Spain crashed into a mountain while attempting an emergency landing in a snowstorm Tuesday night. Seventeen U.S. airmen and one Spanish airman were killed, officials said Wednesday. A search team found the wreckage of the plane, a Hercules C-130 turbo-prop, 12 hours after it went down. The plane crashed about 2 miles northwest of Borja, Spain, U.S. Air Force officials said….
“The servicemen and aircraft were participating in a joint U,S.-Spanish training exercise on cargo loading and troop movement, a Zaragoza official said.
“The snow-covered crash site, accessible only by helicopter, is about 35 miles northwest of Zaragoza and 10 miles from the plane’s parachute drop target near Ablidas.
“The search operation, which continued through Tuesday night, was delayed by the heavy fog, snow and rain blanketing the mountainous area.
“Spanish air force officials in Zaragoza said the doors of the Hercules were open and several of the victims, apparently intending to jump, had pulled the rip cords of their parachutes. A Zaragoza official said some of the jumpers were still hooked to the aircraft’s jump line or automatic parachute release.
“The combat control team and para-rescue specialist on the aircraft were to have parachuted as part of the exercises, an Air Force spokesman said.
“Contact with the plane was lost about 7:20 p.m. Tuesday, U.S. Air Force officials said.
“The Spanish air force in Madrid said the crash site was located with the help of the plane’s automatic emergency distress….[goes to p. 24 which was not accessible].” (Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. “AF transport crashes in Spain; 18 men die.” 3-1-1984, 1.)
UPI, March 2: “Borja, Spain (UPI) — U.S. Air Force investigators began the search for clues Thursday to explain why a military transport plane crashed during routine maneuvers in northeastern Spain, killing 17 American airmen and a Spanish observer.
“Officials at Zaragoza AB, Spain, said a rescue team recovered the last body Thursday from the charred fuselage of the Hercules C-130 that crashed Tuesday night during a snowstorm about 35 miles northwest of the base…..
“The recovered bodies of the American airmen were brought by truck to the Zaragoza base, then flown Thursday to Torrejon AB, Spain, outside Madrid for identification.
“A Zaragoza base spokesman said a team of Air Force investigators from bases in the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain were at the crash site Thursday. The plane’s black box — the flight data recorder — had been recovered late Wednesday and probably would be sent to the United States for analysis, he said.
“It took searchers more than 12 hours Wednesday to locate the crash site, an isolated region of foothills covered with up to three feet of snow about two miles northwest of the village of Borja.
“USAFE on Thursday identified the 17 Air Force personnel and one Spanish officer killed in Tuesday night’s crash. The following 16 people were stationed at Rhein-Main AB near Frankfurt:
Aircraft commander — Capt. Michael D. Jablonovsky, 27, 37th Tac Airlift Sq, Grove
City, Pa., married, no children.
Co-pilot — Capt. David C. Harp, 36, 37th Tac Airlift Sq, Crystal City, Texas, married,
three children.
Co-pilot — 1st Lt. Hal W. Hoskins, 28, 37th Tac Airlift Sq, Friendswood, Texas, married,
two children.
Instructor/navigator — Mai Charles J. Polk, 43, 37th Tac Airlift Sq, Lyons, N.Y., married,
one child.
Navigator — Capt John E. Robbins, 27, 37th Tac Airlift Sq, Doraville, Ga., single.
Flight engineer — Master Sgt. Charles J. Wyatt, 36, 37th Tac Airlift Sq, Bellevue, Iowa…
Instructor/loadmaster — A.1.C Craig G. Spllinek, 22, 37th Tac Airlift Sq, Freemont, Neb.,
Loadmaster –Staff Sgt. Jack M. McCloskey Jr, 30, 435th Aerial Port Sq, Battle Creek,
Mich., married, two children.
Loadmaster — Tech. Sgt. Harold R. Leavitt, 37, 37th Tac Airlift Sq, Peoria, Ill., single.
Combat controller — Tech. Sgt. Victor A. Valle, 34, 435th Tac Airlift Wing, Bronx, N.Y.,
single, two children.
Combat controller — Sgt. Jonathan D. Goerling, 25, 7th Special Operations Sq., Corbell,
Ore., married, no children.
Combat controller — Tech. Sgt. Larry A. Rainey, 34, 435th Tac Airlift Wing, Bessemer.
Ala., married, two children.
Combat controller — Capt. Roderick G. Gress, 29, 435th Tac Airlift Wing. Munhall, Pa.,
Combat controller — Sgt. Steven M. Ray, 24, 435th Tac Airlift Wing, Woodstock, III.,…
Combat controller — Staff Sgt. Eddy D. Clark, 26, 7th Special Ops. Sq, Columbia, Calif.,..
Combat controller — Sgt. Emilio F. Martinez Jr, 23, 435th Tac Airlift Wing, San Bernardino. Calif., married, one child.
“The following person was stationed at Zaragoza AB, Spain:
Para-rescue specialist — Staff Sgt. Scott A. Anderson, 24, Det 9, 67th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Sq, Litchfield, Minn., married.
“The Spanish officer was Capt. Fransisco Guardlota Davo, 3lst Wing, Spanish Air Force, navigator/observer.” (UPI. “Air Force hunts for clues, identifies Spain crash victims.” Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany, 3-2-1984, p. 9.)
Sources
Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed C-130E Hercules, 1984, Feb 28, NW of Borja, Spain. Accessed 3-7-2012 at:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19840228-1
Baugher, Joseph F. 1968 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-10-2012 revision. Accessed 3-5-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1968.html
Combat Control Net. “This Day in CCT History.” Combatcontrolnet.blogspot, 4-3-2009. Accessed 2-1-2017 at: http://combatcontrolnet.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html
Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.
Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. “AF transport crashes in Spain; 18 men die.” 3-1-1984, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=116929411
United Press International. “Air Force hunts for clues, identifies Spain crash victims.” Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. 3-2-1984, 9. http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=118245884
United Press International. “U.S. C-130 Crashes in Spain Killing 17 American Airmen.” Pharos-Tribune, Logansport IN. 2-29-1984, p. 6. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=109197718
[1] “United States Air Force Combat Controllers (CCT) (AFSC 1C2X1) are ground combat forces specialized in a traditional pathfinder role while having a heavy emphasis on simultaneous air traffic control, fire support and command, control, and communications in covert or austere environments. Assigned to Special Tactics Squadrons, Combat Controllers are an integral part of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the Air Force component of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Combat Controllers are often assigned individually or as a team to Army Special Forces, Army Ranger, and Navy SEAL teams to provide expert air support coordination and communications capabilities.” (Wikipedia. “United States Air Force Combat Control Team.” 1-11-2012 modification.)
[2] From Detachment 9, 67th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service. (Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt. “AF transport crashes in Spain; 18 men die.” 3-1-1984, 1.)