1965 USAF KC-135 Wichita crash

A US Air Force Boeing KC–135 Stratotanker, similar to the accident aircraft
Accident summary
Date	January 16, 1965
Summary	Loss of control due to malfunction of rudder control system
Site	near McConnell Air Force Base, Wichita, Kansas, USA 37°43′25″N 97°18′10″W / 37.72361°N 97.30278°W / 37.72361; -97.30278Coordinates: 37°43′25″N 97°18′10″W / 37.72361°N 97.30278°W / 37.72361; -97.30278
Passengers	0
Crew	7
Fatalities	30 (including 23 on the ground)
Injuries (non-fatal)	at least 27 (on the ground)
Survivors	0
Aircraft type	Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker
Operator	United States Air Force
Registration	57-1442
Flight origin	McConnell Air Force Base
Destination	McConnell Air Force Base

On 16 January 1965, a U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in a suburban neighborhood in Wichita, Kansas, near the McConnell Air Force Base. This resulted in the deaths of all seven crew members on board the aircraft and an additional twenty-three people on the ground. This accident is the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Kansas. It is also the second-deadliest aircraft accident in the United States involving victims on the ground, after the Green Ramp disaster in 1994 which killed 24 people on the ground.

At 9:28 a.m. CST (3:28 p.m. UTC) on the morning of 16 January 1965, a Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker, which was registered as 57-1442, took off from the McConnell Air Force Base and gained very little altitude. During this time, the aircraft began to experience a large amount of yaw, and attempted to return to the airport. The crew then began to dump large quantities of fuel from the aircraft's refueling tanks. Shortly after this, the aircraft made a hard bank to the left, and began to enter a roll. Unable to recover, the aircraft crashed into a predominately African American suburban neighborhood at the intersection of Piatt and 20th Street, just three minutes after take-off.

The aircraft was loaded with 31,000 gallons of jet fuel, and the crash resulted in a large explosion and subsequent fire, which engulfed dozens of homes. The accident killed all seven crew members on the aircraft and an additional twenty-three people on the ground. In addition, at least twenty-seven people on the ground sustained injuries, three of which were serious. It was reported that the crew entry door was jettisoned and a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, which took off prior to the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, may have blown a drag chute from a Republic F-105 Thunderchief against the departing aircraft. These factors may have contributed to the crash.