Operator
United States Air Force accidents and incidents
Occurrences where an aircraft's operator is United States Air Force. Spellings and company suffixes are merged.
60 records from 1945 to 2026, 46 of them fatal. Most often a Boeing KC-135; most often in Texas.
Leaves out 1 unreviewed and minor record. Include them
By year
| Year | Occurrences | Fatal occurrences | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 2 | 45 | |
| 1948 | 1 | 13 | |
| 1950 | 3 | 68 | |
| 1951 | 1 | 15 | |
| 1952 | 4 | 147 | |
| 1953 | 1 | 129 | |
| 1955 | 2 | 70 | |
| 1956 | 1 | 3 | |
| 1957 | 2 | 75 | |
| 1958 | 2 | 64 | |
| 1959 | 3 | 30 | |
| 1962 | 1 | 44 | |
| 1966 | 2 | 14 | |
| 1968 | 1 | 155 | |
| 1969 | 2 | 78 | |
| 1975 | 1 | 138 | |
| 1977 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1982 | 1 | 27 | |
| 1984 | 2 | 27 | |
| 1987 | 1 | 10 | |
| 1988 | 1 | 7 | |
| 1990 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1991 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 1 | 4 | |
| 1995 | 1 | 24 | |
| 1996 | 1 | 35 | |
| 1997 | 1 | 33 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2010 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2015 | 2 | 16 | |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 14 |
Aircraft types
| Aircraft type | Occurrences | Fatal occurrences | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing KC-135 | 6 | 4 | 73 |
| Boeing B-52 | 5 | 5 | 33 |
| Douglas C-124 | 4 | 3 | 268 |
| Lockheed C-130 | 4 | 4 | 201 |
| Boeing B-29 | 3 | 2 | 34 |
| Boeing C-17 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Convair B-36 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Douglas C-54 | 2 | 2 | 121 |
| Douglas DC-7 | 2 | 2 | 57 |
| Lockheed C-141 | 2 | 2 | 42 |
Airports most often reported
| Airport | Occurrences | Share | Fatal occurrences | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley County Airport (MKS) | 1.7% | 1 | 2 | |
| Destin Executive Airport (DTS) | 1.7% | 0 | 0 | |
| Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) | 1.7% | 0 | 0 | |
| Grand Strand Airport (CRE) | 1.7% | 1 | 2 | |
| Joint Base Andrews (ADW) | 1.7% | 0 | 0 | |
| Lackland Air Force Base (SKF) | 1.7% | 0 | 0 | |
| Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF) | 1.7% | 0 | 0 | |
| Shaw Air Force Base (SSC) | 1.7% | 1 | 2 |
Countries
| Country | Occurrences | Share | Fatal occurrences | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 36.7% | 15 | 336 | |
| Unknown | 11.7% | 5 | 47 | |
| Japan | 6.7% | 4 | 215 | |
| Canada | 5.0% | 2 | 49 | |
| South Vietnam | 5.0% | 3 | 370 | |
| Germany | 3.3% | 2 | 8 | |
| Guam | 3.3% | 1 | 6 | |
| Papua New Guinea | 3.3% | 2 | 45 | |
| Spain | 3.3% | 2 | 25 | |
| United Kingdom | 3.3% | 2 | 5 |
US states and territories
| State | Occurrences | Share | Fatal occurrences | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 3.3% | 0 | 0 | |
| Florida | 1.7% | 0 | 0 | |
| Maryland | 1.7% | 0 | 0 | |
| South Carolina | 1.7% | 1 | 2 |
Deadliest occurrences
| Occurrence | Date | Total fatalities | Location | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 Kham Duc C-130 shootdown | 12 May 1968 | 155 | Kham Duc Airstrip, Kham Duc, South Vietnam | 1 |
| 1975 Tan Son Nhut Lockheed C-5 crash | 4 Apr 1975 | 138 | Near Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon, South Vietnam | 1 |
| Tachikawa air disaster | 18 Jun 1953 | 129 | Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan | 1 |
| 1952 Moses Lake C-124 crash | 20 Dec 1952 | 87 | Near Larson Air Force Base, Moses Lake, Grant County, Washington, United States | 1 |
| 1969 Da Nang mid-air collision | 20 Sept 1969 | 77 | Near Da Nang Air Base, Da Nang, South Vietnam | 2 |
| 1957 Pacific Ocean Boeing C-97 disappearance | 22 Mar 1957 | 67 | Pacific Ocean; about 200 miles east from Tokyo, Japan | 1 |
| 1955 Altensteig mid-air collision | 11 Aug 1955 | 66 | Near Altensteig, West Germany | 2 |
| 1952 Mount Gannett C-124 crash | 22 Nov 1952 | 52 | Colony Glacier, Mount Gannett, Alaska, United States | 1 |
| United Air Lines Flight 736 | 21 Apr 1958 | 49 | Enterprise, Nevada, United States | 2 |
| KC-135 crash near Spokane (1962) | 10 Sept 1962 | 44 | Kit Carson, near Spokane (Washington, United States) | 1 |
All occurrences
Showing 50 of 60, newest first
- 2026 United States Air Force Boeing B-52 crashShow on map
15 Jun 2026 · Edwards Air Force Base, Edwards, California, United States · 8 fatal
- F-15E shootdownShow on map
3 Apr 2026 · Near Yasuj, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad
- 2026 mid-air collision over Iraq
12 Mar 2026 · Iraqi airspace · 6 fatal · not on the map
- 2023 Black Sea drone incident
14 Mar 2023 · Black Sea to the southwest of Crimea · not on the map
- GAA17CA081 · Cessna 172 PShow on map
17 Nov 2016 · Destin, FL, United States
- 2015 Jalalabad USAF C-130J crashShow on map
2 Oct 2015 · Jalalabad Airport, Jalalabad, Afghanistan · 14 fatal
- 2015 Moncks Corner mid-air collisionShow on map
7 Jul 2015 · Moncks Corner, South Carolina, United States · 2 fatal
- 2014 Norfolk helicopter crash
7 Jan 2014 · Near Cley next the Sea, Norfolk, England · 4 fatal · not on the map
- OPS11IA499 · Boeing 737Show on map
18 Apr 2011 · Camp Springs, MD, United States
- OPS11IA476 · Beech 400 UNDESIGNATShow on map
13 Apr 2011 · Midland, TX, United States
- 2010 United States Air Force Boeing C-17 crashShow on map
28 Jul 2010 · Near Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, United States · 4 fatal
- 2008 United States Air Force Boeing B-52 crashShow on map
21 Jul 2008 · Pacific Ocean northwest of Apra Harbor, Guam · 6 fatal
- 2008 Andersen Air Force Base B-2 crashShow on map
23 Feb 2008 · Andersen Air Force Base, Guam
- 1997 Namibia mid-air collisionShow on map
13 Sept 1997 · 65 nmi west of Namibia · 33 fatal
- 1996 United States Air Force Boeing T-43 crashShow on map
3 Apr 1996 · 3 km north of Dubrovnik Airport, Dubrovnik, Croatia · 35 fatal
- 1995 Alaska Boeing E-3 Sentry accidentShow on map
22 Sept 1995 · Near Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, United States · 24 fatal
- 1994 Fairchild Air Force Base B-52 crashShow on map
24 Jun 1994 · Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, U.S. · 4 fatal
- 1991 Gulf War Boeing KC-135 accidentShow on map
6 Feb 1991 · Near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Death Valley mid-air collisionShow on map
26 Jul 1990 · near Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California, USA · 2 fatal
- FTW90LA147 · Cessna 152Show on map
25 Jul 1990 · Lytle, TX, United States
- 1988 Remscheid A-10 crashShow on map
8 Dec 1988 · Remscheid, West Germany · 7 fatal
- 1987 Indianapolis Ramada Inn A-7D Corsair II crashShow on map
20 Oct 1987 · Indianapolis International Airport, Indianapolis, Indiana · 10 fatal
- Sigonella air crashShow on map
12 Jul 1984 · Near Lentini · 9 fatal
- Borja air crashShow on map
28 Feb 1984 · Borja, Aragon · 18 fatal
- 1982 United States Lockheed C-130 crashShow on map
13 Apr 1982 · Refahiye, Erzincan, Turkey · 27 fatal
- KC-135 accident near MarysvilleShow on map
28 Apr 1977 · Beale Air Force Base, California (USA)
- 1975 Tan Son Nhut Lockheed C-5 crashShow on map
4 Apr 1975 · Near Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon, South Vietnam · 138 fatal
- 1969 Da Nang mid-air collision
20 Sept 1969 · Near Da Nang Air Base, Da Nang, South Vietnam · 77 fatal · not on the map
- 1969 RAF Mildenhall C-130 theft
23 May 1969 · English Channel, Northwestern Europe · 1 fatal · not on the map
- 1968 Kham Duc C-130 shootdownShow on map
12 May 1968 · Kham Duc Airstrip, Kham Duc, South Vietnam · 155 fatal
- Svanfjell accidentShow on map
20 Mar 1966 · Svanfjell on Senja · 7 fatal
- 1966 Palomares accidentShow on map
17 Jan 1966 · near Palomares, Almería, Spain · 7 fatal
- KC-135 crash near Spokane (1962)Show on map
10 Sept 1962 · Kit Carson, near Spokane (Washington, United States) · 44 fatal
- Hakkloa accident
2 Dec 1959 · Hakkloa in Nordmarka · 4 fatal · not on the map
- Hardinsburg air disasterShow on map
15 Oct 1959 · Hardinsburg · 8 fatal
- 1959 Okinawa F-100 crashShow on map
30 Jun 1959 · Ishikawa, Okinawa Prefecture · 18 fatal
- 1958 Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crashShow on map
27 Jun 1958 · Chicopee, Massachusetts, US · 15 fatal
- United Air Lines Flight 736Show on map
21 Apr 1958 · Enterprise, Nevada, United States · 49 fatal
- Kirtland air accidentShow on map
22 May 1957 · Albuquerque
- 1957 Pacific Ocean Boeing C-97 disappearance
22 Mar 1957 · Pacific Ocean; about 200 miles east from Tokyo, Japan · 67 fatal · not on the map
- 1957 Pacoima mid-air collisionShow on map
31 Jan 1957 · Over the San Fernando Valley, California, United States · 8 fatal
- 1956 USAF Boeing B-47 disappearance
10 Mar 1956 · Mediterranean Sea · 3 fatal · not on the map
- 1955 Altensteig mid-air collisionShow on map
11 Aug 1955 · Near Altensteig, West Germany · 66 fatal
- US military aircraft crash in Naguwashi Village, Saitama PrefectureShow on map
24 Mar 1955 · Shimo-Kosaka district, Naguwashi Village, Iruma District, Saitama Prefecture, Japan · 4 fatal
- Tachikawa air disasterShow on map
18 Jun 1953 · Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan · 129 fatal
- 1952 Moses Lake C-124 crashShow on map
20 Dec 1952 · Near Larson Air Force Base, Moses Lake, Grant County, Washington, United States · 87 fatal
- 1952 Mount Gannett C-124 crash
22 Nov 1952 · Colony Glacier, Mount Gannett, Alaska, United States · 52 fatal · not on the map
- Republic F-84 crash in DarmstadtShow on map
11 Mar 1952 · Darmstadt, Rheinstraße 322 · 5 fatal
- Raunheim plane crashShow on map
28 Jan 1952 · Raunheim · 3 fatal
- Sunagawa Village B-29 bomber crashShow on map
18 Nov 1951 · Japan, Tokyo, Kitatama District, Sunagawa Village · 15 fatal