I I. DATE-TIME cmou? :2. LOCATION ' . ! l.. SOURCE 10. CONCLUSION ; .t.. NUMBE~ O F OBJECTS INFQffi{A.TION ONLY 15. Lfl'IGTH Or OBSERVATION TYPE OF OBSERVATION ~7. C OURSE ILl. PHOTOS t 9. PHYSI CAL EVIDENCE 11. aRIEF SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS This case \ro.s reported in Harch-April 1966. Since the actud) sighting had occurre d some time ago it is almost impos!lible to check it out~ .Also due to the time l a g the pertinent data has probably become distorted. Therefore this case is considered, Information Orl FTD S E P 63 0-329' (Ti)c) Pr ... !oa dJUon of t.hb fo r.z>ma,. be ueed. 34. Dot.! y ou comple:t~d this questionnaire: 35. lniormotion which you f.,el pedinent and which is not odequot()ly covered in th~ spocific points of th e onnaire or a narrative explanati on of your sighting. JOU C):!J'(:t.e t.~ ::::Gtac'.eft F'I'D Fo"'r.l lG'L .-nn re:.,t~rn lt lY'I lope c)l")V iclcd. t.o tt1::!nl: yo> C.hL~-. :-TOJec L lnc .. oo"._ V'J"':' ' . .)U-3 ;ote:::::unental iJ acl~3 ~OCCC! .. 1i:lg ~lu/Jr ulrcraft acciden~s. .In a l ter dated 1) June 1960 ::~clU..-~ssed to Ca!,)ta l.n 'I-1Lbc~ 'tl. n~oou .Jt Hrig~t-Pat~erson Ai.'.SJ you asl<ed hlro t.o coa!'lrm a 'it~rement n~ nJljda .in o l~tter dated 12 July 1 957 to Ma,)or wayne Ano con..:~rnin~ .\lr t'o-rce 9ilot3 r'iriag o n UFOs. CJ.:>taln El.<~ood'3 at.atemi!nt. ~ad, "rn :.. !'~w cattes Air i''orce pilots have o.t'f'ici.3lly ral)or ted :r'i:::-tn.g o n flJi:lg u b jects -;thich '!".hey could not :dentify ~nd .1hL::h :1ere l a ".er d=- ~ex-ni.:led t.o b e c onventior.al ob jec-vs." Since t,forld. 1f.:Jr .!:I ::n:d t"le :Cor-~an :.: l:o~ood rar'~rr.:!d t.o ~fill II and ~<orean i :-lS'td nces ~o~aea 1ilot a fi!"c::d o n so- c3llad "foo" f i ghters o r u.nidentifi.ad oirc!"aft. In l~t~ers dated 13 June l 9o0 aJ.d~saad ";o CtJ~?"l-..ain JoB~:>h L . o t :icChord Air Force Base, lo Jul y 1 9o0 addressed to : tr. ;iil1iaill Husu l2r ot :lorto n Air Porce Bas~, ~nd 4 August 1960 aud~dded t o Lc. Col onel ~:alr!..;l .P. Terry 3t Norton Alr :;..orce 3aaa, y o u :Ja~ed for the o.r'icial findings conc~ing an accldent o n l A~ril 1959 near Tacoma, Washing~on ln,JolJing a C-118 tne aircr~ft. T~ Alr :E'orce fl::1din.g::~ i:::1 cala p:;3rticular case ~,.e~ pi.lot error dua ~o bad judgemen~. Nei 1:.her the accident r >art nor the csu::t~ flctor'l are cl.aaalfled . Uowe,rer, the overall contents of tnis rer;>ort o~ tor int~rnal usc -:li-r.ain the Air For::e ond tnay not b"! relaased outaide official cb~.tnnels. I can :1ssure you, ot' cour~..,, tb.at contrary t o previou3 r e-ports, rumors and specul3 tioo that there was no UFO involv~d i n tbia u nfortunate ~ircr3ft accident. In a let~er dat.ed 10 Augus't. 1960 .3ddresaed t o ~lr. All~n Dullas of t~e Cen~::-al Io-cell16encd Agency, you a3:<ed b.l3 opinio n o n the subject. o.f un1d~n~if1ad flying oo.jects. Dr. Dulles :Jas referred your inquir'J 1;o '.:be lJ. S. Air Force fo::-~ply. In ~his re.~:n-d., :;: ,;,.1!:1 incloai:Jg t~e :!.o ~s-.; DepartDent of Defense fact 9b:~r. o a tbi3 suo ject - icb. '?l~i:lly n ~at.es ~::e position of tC.cl De:!)a:::-tmen~ of D~ t'e-:1se :m d tea Air .?'~nce. C::.~'-<la!:loma Cit;r Sinc~r~ly, I ... ~'IIRZ~C.3 J . TAC:<ZR .?ul:>ll .. r.1t.:>r:JStton Dlti3ion O!'r''\ce of Infon a !:.i.on DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE:. HEADQUARTERS UNITE D srATEG AIR FORCE ASHINGTON 2:;). D . C . Ut l'UTY I NSf" ECTOR GEN ER \ L FOR SAFE: ~y r-1 ,ATON An< Fou r u .. :,r .. C'\L.IFOANIA AFCRS-1 suoJEcl: n.equest for Information Concerning Aircr:-tft Acci Involvlng C-118A Nr 53-3250, 1 April 1959, f.tom. SAFOI-3D (LtCol Tacker) 1. Pursuant to the telephone conversation between Jltlr. Richard F . Gerwig, A.FCRS-1 and Capt William 1L Mack, AFOI-3D, on 9 August 1960, the following swu111arizati6n of correspondence regardi requests for aircraft accident i nfo1mation from Mr. , Oklahoma City 6 , Oklahoma, and replies thereto, is submitted. The original request for accident information, dated 13 June 1960 (Attacb..inent 1), was receive d by Capt Joseph L . Wiggins , Sr. , Information Of.ficer, 325 Fighter Wing, UcChord AFD, Washington. The letter requested the cause of the accident on 1 Apri l 195 9 near Tacoma, Washington involving C-llS Nr 53-3250 -as -cie:termined by the "Boar-d of Inquiry II as well as a copy of the report prepared. was in- formed by Capt Wiggins by letter dated 6 J u l y 1960 (Attachmen t that the request was fo:ewarded to the Directorate of l!'ligh~ (and Missile ) Safet y Research (D/F),lSR) However, three pages of selected c lippi ngs were inclose d by Capt Wlggin s for Mr. nformation. A copy of the request and Capt Wiggins'reply was forwarded to D/FMSR on 6 J u l y 1960 (Attachment 3), for action deeme d appropriate. was informed by this office on 14 July 1960 (Attachment 4) , that a copy of the accident report could not be furnished because of Air Force directives classifying he document as a privileged report, and that release out- side official USAF channels was prohibited .. c . ~ . .....,replied by letter, dated 18 July 1960 (.d.ttac..:::1e~11: 5), stating that in addition to the original rcques~ =or a copy of the report, the cause was requested and that o::::ta latter request ha d been i g nored . Clarification of the terms "privileged report" and what was meant by "For Official Use Only" was a l s o r equested in this letter. Reply to the 18 July l etter was acconplished on l August 196 0 (Attachment 6), and relate d in detail the reasous prohibiting release of accident lnform::ttion outside the USAF and that denial o 1lr. request was not personal but wa s because of directives and rc~ulations. I t pointed out that the purpos e of his ) request h n d 11cver b een state d in any corresp ondence and that if h e was unde r contract to the USAF, detail s pe-rtaining to his ".aeed-to-know" should b e Jorwarded through established e . ~. replied by letter, dated 4 August 1960 (Attachment 7 , and requested copies of the regulations which deny his access to the report and caus e factors related to t he sul?ject aircraft accident. A statement that a Mr . ._. had been informed by LtCol Lawrence J. Tacker, Public Information Division, Department of the AF, Washington, that "The Alr Force findings on the C-118 transport crash 1 April 1959 were pilot error clue to bad judgement." rJr. _. asl{ed i.E t b e D/.F:.'JSR concurred in tbis statement and if so, why was Me. --given the data and him? Although clear reasons. had b een previously given 1~. , he again queried as to tlle classification of the report which p-recludes public disse~ination. The individua possibly could be Congressman , New York. ) !n addition to the provisions of paragraphs 51 and 52, AFR 6 2-14, other di~ectives and regulations ~s Department of Defense Directives 5410.1, 5230.12, 5200.6, paragraph 2d(l), AFR 11-30 and paragraph 3b(2), (3) and (4), AFR 11-22 pertain t o the classification, privileged status and release of acci- d ent aud other infornation outside USAF channels. AF:M 5-4 gover~ing forms and publications, as well as AFU 0-2, the Numerical Index of Air Force Regulations, mrute no provisions :for the purchase or release of Air Force regulations to individuals not within the organization of the Air Forceo 3 . It is requested that copies of the correspondence cited (Attachments 1 throug h 7) be reviewed by the Office of Infor- mation for preparat~on of a Iinal reply to Mr. copy o f your reply is requested to be forwarded to the Deputy !r..spector General for Safety, USAF, Norton AFB, Attn: A.FCRS-: . 1. Cy Ltr Mr. Maney I~ Jutt 6 0 2 . Cy Ltr Capt Wiggins, Sr, , 6 Jul 60 (to ~'llr. ?Janey) 3o Cy Ltr Capt Wigg i ns , Sr., 6 Jul 60 (to D/ F:',JSR) 4 . Cy Lt-r D/F.\tSR 14 Jul 6 0 5 . Cy Lt r ?.lr. Maney 18 Jul 6 0 6 . Cy Ltr D/ .b'\ISR 1 Aug 60 7 . Cy L-tr ~.lr. ~faney Ll Aug GO CapLai!l Joseph L. Wiggins, St.". , USAF I11iormation Services Officer liCitdquarters, 325th Fighter Wing (Air Defense) United Stntes Air Force .. ~lcChord Air Force Base, Washington Dear Captain Wiggings: I refer to the crash o the C-118 aircraft near Taco1na, \Yashington on April 1, 1959. I would very much like to know what the Board of Inquiry that investigated this crash, has concluded to be the cause of the/crash . possible, I should like to reques t a copy of the repo!~ o this Board of Inquiry. Sincerely yours, Oklahoma City Your letter of 13 June 1960, has been forwarded to: Director, Flight Safety Research, the Inspector General, Headquarters USAF, Norton Air Force Bnse, California. Enclosed are selected clippings whlch we hope will give you information desired. Yours truly, JOSEPH L. WIGGINS SR. JOSEPH L . WIGGINS SR. Captain USAF Information Officer Clippings (3 pgs) riEADQU.ART'ERS ,ICCHORD AIR FORCE BASE~ WASHINGTON neque~t for InformatiOll Director, Flight Safety Research The Inspector General Hq. USAF Norton Air Force Base, Calif. 1. Attached letter l'Ccently received fro plus our reply is forwarded for action cleetaed appropr 2. Director, Operations this base recomended this action under provisions of 1\.FR 62-14. JOSEPH L. WI GGINS SR. JOSEPS L. WIGGINS SR. Captain USAF Information Officer this !Iq.) Request for Information Oklahoma City 6, Ok l a 1. Your 1 etter to Capt Wiggins, dated 13 June 1960, which requested a copy of the aircraft accident report involving the C-118 aircraft that occurred on 1 April 1959 has been referred to this headquarters for answer. 2. A copy of the accident report cannot be furnished t o you. In accordance wit h applicable directives, this docume11t is a privileged report for internal use with- i n the Air Force, and may not be released outside official WILLIAM RUSSLER WILLIA?il RUSSLER Chief, Records & Statistics Division Directorate of Flight & Copies to: 325 Ftr lVg (FWCIS) McChord Missile Safe"tY Research Si.r;hting 60 mllcs 1~8!': of Gr"nd 1 1;:: ~lass Bulbs inside of n riu~. ';'he soun I Has back firing. 'Jhi.s man hud reported i L to rfff.~ r.1j t1l)~, L\;r; whole "th.i.n;; W'J.S pretty ,,.t-:..1 confused anJ on his o~Gerv~Lion io fill ou forr.1c or :::u~ tn i rr of 'uhe kind. GO Ll'f, t o seL1d us a 1cnor -. or 1 ~ s an d l'Oi-1 the ~ess got i.::1to 1ds hanfl.s. Ec You lcl fo::.~ms to fi l l o~..,. Mr. William Russler Chie.f, Hecords and Statistics Divlsion Dlrectorat e of Flight and Missile Sa.fety Research ~orton Air Force Base, California Dear 1Ir o Russler: I refer to yottr letter dated 14 J u l y 1960. In addition to a copy of the accident report, I requested the cause of the crash. This request was ignored. Concerning the p r iviliged classifi ed, or just kept out of it ''For Officia l t:se Only renort is it publlc hands, Sincerely, o ffici ally by stamping Request for Information 1. Your letter of 18 July 1960 to Mr. William Uussler has been received. 2. Unfo1tunately, we cannot furnish you a copy of the accide11t report nor can the cause f~ctors of the accident be released since this information is compiled solely for use within the Air Force for accident prevention purposes and is not released to anyone outside official channels. Please understand that your request is not denied you as an i~dividual but is denied because o applicable Air Force directives and regulations. 3 . Your letter to Capt Joseph L. Wiggins, Sr. , USAF', McChord ll.FB, Washington, and your last letter to this headquarters did not explain the purpose for which you are requesting information on the referenced accident. Indi- viduals or organizations under contract to the Air Force and having an official requirement may request information thro~gh established channels. I f you are in this category, it is recommended that pertinent details concerning your need-to-know be forwarded to The Judge Advocate General, USAF, Headquarters USAF, Washington 25, DC. J.IELV:;; P .. TERRY MELVIN Po TERRY LtCol USAF Division Control Office r Records & Statistics Division Directorate: of Flight & Missile Safety Research Copies to: AFCJA Lt. Col. ~.telvin P. Terry, USAF Divisio11 Control Officer R~cord~ & Statistics Division l)i1ectorate o.E Flight & Missile Safety Research Norton Air Force Base, California Dear Colo11e1 Terry I refer to your conununieation <lated 1 August 1960. I possible, and they are not classified, I should like to request copies of the re!ulations whie;h deny m.e access to the accident report and/or cause factors oi the C-118 c1ash o.f l April 1959. On 23 March 1960, Lt. Col. Lawrence J . Tacker, USAF, Public Information Division, Department o the Air Force. Office of the Secretary, 1/ashington, told :JI. "The Air Force findings on the C-118 Trans- port cras h 1 April 1959 were pilot error due to bad judgement " J~es the Flight and Missil e Safet y Rose concur in thi s statement? I so, why w,Lt::~ t h e data, a n d not I? Direct o.ea te I woul d also like to know if t accident report and/or cause factors of the aforementioned crash are officially classified as "Top Secret", "Secret" , or "Confidential" or a.1e .; i thheld from -:he public through some other means. Sincerely yours,