, C-141 Tail Number: 64-0624 C141HEAVEN - All there is to know, and lots more, about the Lockheed C141 Starlifter!
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C-141 Tail Number:64-0624

64-0624 was the first C-141 assigned to the 437th MAW at Charleston on 8/14/1965.


At KCHS(Charleston).
Copyright © - © : Photographer:George Miller.

At KCHS(Charleston).
Copyright © - © : Photographer:George Miller.

At KCHS(Charleston).
Copyright © - © : Photographer:George Miller.

At KCHS(Charleston).
Copyright © - © : Photographer:George Miller.

George Miller Copyright © - ©1967
At KCHS (Charleston).

Mike Yeager provided the following details on this photo :

This photo was taken on March 31, 1967, at a short ceremony prior to departure of the 1st Anniversary Flight of the Embassy Run. I was the AC and the other two in the picture were Stuart Cozzens a copilot and John E. Schmidt a navigator. I am shaking hands with the Mayor Pro Tem of Charleston who represented the city of Charleston as it's namesake departed on the round the world flight.

The Embassy Run was a seven day mission to support our US Embassies. We made stops at Torrejon AF, Spain; Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Karachi, Pakistan; New Deli, India; Bangkok, Thailand; Clark AB, Philippines; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Travis AFB, California; and back to Charleston AFB. The trip was usually 48 to 50 hours flying time. The aircraft was configured for passengers and cargo with a comfort pallet and other "attempts" to make a cargo aircraft as close as possible to a passenger jet. (The noise level and temperature control in the cargo compartment still left a lot to be desired, but we sure tried.)

Other crew members on this flight were copilot William Miller; navigator Tom Kepple; flight engineers Paul Brown and Jim Towery; loadmasters James Carrico and Gil Ponce. We also had chew chiefs Bill Stewart and Carl Church.

I was also privileged to be the aircraft commander on the 1st Embassy Flight on April 1-6, 1966, as well as the 2nd anniversary flight on March 29 - April 3, 1968.

That picture alone sure brought back a lot of memories. I can imagine how many more I will have as I browse through the rest of the site.



Copyright © - © : Photographer:Ian Robertson


A shot of 40624 taxiing. Lot's of other very early 141's on the ramp.
If you look carefully, just to the left of the flag on this aircraft's tail in the distant background...Old Shakey!

Copyright © - © Date unk: Photographer:Blaine Scarford.


This photo of 64-0624 was contributed by Walt Chapman Jr.
It was taken in Feb 1970 at Howard AFB, Panama.


This aircraft was destroyed on 12 July 1984, in an accident involving multiple engine failures at NAS Sigonella, Italy.

Immediately after takeoff from Sigonella the aircraft's #3 engine experienced an uncontained engine failure. Debris from #3 engine caused #4 engine to also fail. Engine parts entered the cargo compartment and started a fire in a pallet containing paint. The cargo fire produced thick poisonous smoke. Several crewmembers had difficulty donning their oxygen masks. Smoke made visual control of aircraft extremely difficult.

The aircraft entered a steep bank and crashed just 198 seconds after takeoff. Eight crewmembers and one passenger were killed.

Post crash toxicology indicated the crew had received potentially fatal levels of cyanide poisoning from the smoke prior to impact. Subsequent to this accident, smoke goggles were added to crew oxygen masks.

The above information was provided by Paul Hansen

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