Westover - Westover

On December 14, 1959 at 12:00 AM, Westover - Westover experienced a crash involving Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker, operated by United States Air Force - USAF, with the event recorded near Westover AFB Massachusetts.

The flight was categorized as refuelling and the reported phase was flight at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

7 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 7 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 7, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The aircraft, assigned to the 384th AREFS, departed from Westover AFB on a refueling mission. The KC-97 collided with a B-52 during refueling at an altitude of about 15,000 feet. The aircraft lost the whole left horizontal stabilizer and elevator, the rudder was missing and the upper fourth of the vertical stabilizer. They made a no-flap, electrical power off landing at night at Dow AFB. Two crew members on the B-52 parachuted to safety. The plane remaining crew members continued to Springfield-Westover AFB, MA (CEF) where a safe landing was made. Source: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19591214-0

Aircraft reference details include registration 53-0231, MSN 17113, year of manufacture 1953.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 42.1795°, -72.5557°.