Rear doors of a C5 Galaxy, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Tan_S…

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Last updated 08 abril 2025

Rear doors of a C5 Galaxy, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Tan_S…

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Tan_Son_Nhut_C-5_accident 1975 Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Tan_Son_Nhut_C-5_accident On 4 April 1975,[Notes 1] 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.[citation needed] Background 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.[2] Description 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,[3] 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,[4] and leaving the flight control with only the use of one aileron, spoilers, and power. The pilot, Captain Dennis "Bud" Traynor, and copilot, Captain Tilford Harp, attempted to regain control of the airplane, and to perform a 180 degree turn in order to return to Tan Son Nhut.[5] The aircraft began to exhibit phugoid oscillations, but the crew countered them and maintained a controlled descent of about 250 to 260 knots (460 to 480 km/h). They were able to bring the plane to 4,000 ft (1,220 m) and begin the approach to Tan Son Nhut