Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West

C-130E
5/13/1995

On May 13, 1995, Lockheed C-130E Hercules #62-1838 took off from Peterson AFB near Colorado Springs, CO.  The aircraft, with the 302nd Airlift Wing of the USAF Reserves, had 6 crew members on board, and was transporting 15 reservists to Boise, ID, for firefighting training.  After dropping off the reservists,  “Sumit 38” suffered an electrical malfunction in #2 engine during the return flight over southern Idaho.  The resulting engine fire prompted the crew to request an emergency landing at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho.  Before they could reach Mountain Home, the turbine assembly departed from #2 engine and tore off the left wing.  The C-130E crashed about 12 miles north of Bliss, ID, killing all 6 crew members.  Scattered wreckage still remains, strewn across 3 miles of desert.  “Sumit 38” had a unique service record, as it was used to evacuate refugees from Jordan during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.  Site visited 11/2/13.