The Udorn Nine
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- Fifty years ago on April 10, 1970 nine broadcasters assigned to the AFRTS Radio TV station, AFTN were killed when a pilotless, crippled RC-F4 Phantom fighter jet assigned to the 432 TRW, Udorn RTAFB in Udorn Thailand slammed into the AFTN studios and a huge explosion consumed the building and destroyed nine more buildings injuring 33. This film commemorates that day and the nine Americans we call The Udorn Nine.
I also say this was an outstanding job putting the film together. I was in Udorn Jan 1970- Jan 1971; during this time and help fight the fire from the crash. I was on my way to work at the Air America complex when the aircraft flew directly over me. I worked on
the T-28 aircraft.
I was there, a day I will never forget. Worked at the 432nd USAF Hospital.
Amazing, I never knew there was any recording of this disaster. I was working in that APO post office "houch" across the street, you see at the end of the film, when the RF-4 came in. We heard the whining sound of the approaching jet engine, and the pop, pop, of the pilots ejecting from the jet. Scariest experience I've ever had hearing it come in with the noise of the crash. I immediately ran out of our building to the two story BOQ across the street (that immediately caught on fire) to catch the "house girls" (girls who wash clothes and shine boots), jumping out of the 2nd floor of that building. We knew that a jet had crashed into AFTN but we didn't know if there were bombs on board. It did turn out to be an RF-4 (reconnaissance) airplane. Thanks for producing this film! Ron Sterry, APO 96237 USAF Udorn '69 -'70.
OUTSTANDING JOB!!! Thanks to all who put it together and shared it with us.
18 years old and I was sitting there watching the runway traffic after noon chow. I saw the F4 coming in, nothing really out of the ordinary, just another day of incoming emergencies. It was right in front of me when I heard a pop and saw a pilot eject and within 3 seconds another pop and the 2nd pilot ejected. The F4 rolled away from me, I saw an explosion of smoke and fire and the party was on....I'll never forget it.
Thanks for putting this video together. This was one of the only stories my father told me about of his time at Udorn. He was on the runway getting ready to take off in an RF-4C when the tower called him and asked him to clear the runway due to emergency coming in. He said it wasn't 2 minutes after the crash and they clear him for take off.
I am a witnessed the crash from a C-130 revetment, which has haunted me over the years. I was assigned to the 7ABCC to preform phase maintenance on their C-130s. I was on 6-month TDY tour from Ching Chuan Kang Air Base (CCK), Taiwan. At the completion of the TDY tour I was permanently assigned to the 432nd FMS Electrical Shop. In October 1970, I was transferred to Tyndall AFB, Florida.
Work on the flightline comes to a complete halt, when the crash siren sounds. You have to ready to move quickly out of the danger zone. Unfortunately, the siren only sounds on the flightline and not on the rest of the base. The people that died in the crash never had a chance to save themselves.
I had just crawled out the wing when the crash siren sounded. At first, all I could see was a landing light. The approaching aircraft looked normal. What I later learned; the pilot was steering the aircraft using his jet engines. The aircraft was about 100 to 200 feet above ground level at the base perimeter.
Then the aircraft started to rise and gradually banked right. Both pilots ejected (almost horizonal to the ground), the airplane continued to roll and was upside down when it just cleared the top of the three-story air-conditioned flight crew barracks. A second later thick black smoke appeared. From what I can remember one pilot landed on or near the fire station, one landed on or near the officers’ club.
My three-story barracks was next to the base hospital, which was about 50 yards from the crash site. The smoke was drifting in the direction of the hospital. I started to panic thinking the fire had spread in that direction. Within minutes air operations resumed and we all went back to work not knowing if any of our friends were involved in the crash.
I remember reading an article years ago that in addition to the nine-Armed Forces Radio Station (AFTN) personnel that were killed, 17 Thai nationals died and 30 Airmen were injured.
Thank you for finding the footage and creating the video. It has been over 50 years since the crash, but it seems like yesterday to me. Craig I watched your dad's RF-4C take off!
Stephen Powell, USAF 1969 - 1970
Follow-up to my earlier reply.
Had the aircraft struck flight crew barrack 50 to 100 night-shift crew members would have been killed. When the RF-4C crashed into the hootches, both jet engines separated from the aircraft and cartwheeled into the concrete AFTN building. The building prevented the engines from plowing into the officers’ flight crew trailer billets behind the station, which would have resulted in 50 to 100 more deaths.
A friend of mine was walking near the patio pool, which was near the crash site and witnessed the entire incident. One of his vivid images is that of a young house girl entering a hootch just as it exploded. House girls were used to washed our clothes and cleaned the hootches at the direction of the Thai Base Commander, who band the use of washing machines in living areas.
Although the loss of life was tragic it could have been much worse. Please remembers all that lost their lives and were injured.
Stephen Powell
Udorn RTAFB 1969 - 1970
USAF 1969 - 1975
Yes thank you for sharing. I grew up hearing about this as my dad too was there and had just walked out of the building and was a block away when it hit.
I was stationed at Udorn June 1972-'73. with the 432nd SPS, Base Defense. This film really brought home to me how truly awful this tragic incident was. I was certainly aware of the accident at the AFRTS Radio/TV Station which took those nine lives and had seen stills of it but this film really made an impact on me that nothing else had up to this time. I can imagine that the crew of that RC-F4 Phantom carried a heavy mental burden despite doing the best they could to control the aircraft. My heart goes out to them, the Udorn Nine and everyone else involved.
I was at Keesler AFB going to school and working at WCGM in Gulfport. I read the story on the air and wondered what they must have gone thru. In April of 1972 I was stationed to Udorn as Airborne Radio Repair and being in broadcasting found my way to the AFTN station where I spent most of my off time. The defining moment on my first visit came when I saw the bronze plaque tribute to the guys that died in the fire. A very sobering moment. I was thankful George Gendron let me hang around and help out.
Thanks for posting this info and this was a horrifying day. Just think, some veterans today think you have to be directly in a war zone to support a conflict or war. I was about 45 days from graduating from high school when this tragic happened. I joined the Air Force, Jun 1971 and was deployed to the Philippines and Taiwan for six months to support the Vietnam War. Shortly after my return I received an assignment to Bangkok, Don Maung Airport, Aerial Mail Terminal in May 1973. We processed mail to a variety of Thai bases. These brave nine men supported the war effort and made the ultimate sacrifice. I pray the family members have continued healing.
Thanks for this. A great tribute. As a part of the local station at Korat, we shared facilities with the network. All of us were in shock when we heard the news and helped pull equipment together to be shipped to Udorn. Sgt. Ostander and I have spent much time on the phone comforting each other. Bill was on scene almost immediately helping put the station back on the air. I think the biggest tribute was actually getting a signal back on the air from our studios back in Korat. Although the air was heavy with grief, our monthly steak picnics soon started again, everyone kept their professionalism, folks pulled custom radio shows together. Yes, I was just a part of the local Korat radio station, but I still feel the grief the couple times I visited the Vietnam Memorial and made rubbings of their names. - connertmedia.com/doc-1702.html
My husband was there and our neighbor Andrew McCartney was kilked. Great young man from Lalewood Ohio.
I had arrived in Bangkok Thailand New Years Eve 1969 and was stationed with the 432nd FMS Squadron the 1st of Jan. 1070. I was an airman stationed at Pope AFB N.C. and I put in to be stationed in Viet Nam or Thailand and got Thailand. I worked in a large Airframe Repair Shop and I had the opportunity to work on the F 4's and different gun ships / helicopters the year I was there. I was off duty that day and was down town. I could see the smoke and hear the sirens from the base. I got a taxi to get me back to base , scary sight our barracks were app. 300 ft from the station. My time there I will never forget. We worked hard and long days but it paid off for me. I was able to make Sgt. before I left and went to Grand Forks AFB No. Dakota. Steve Cremeans
Some of the aerial footage of the base (not the ejection) appears to be from NKP where Task Force Alpha was located. One of the close ups appears to be of the Task Force Alpha building. The normal ejection sequence for an F-4 was back seater first then the pilot to prevent the pilot's rocket motor from burning the back seater during ejection
I was there 72. Heard the story. Base was busy all time. Worked with a bunch of guys who were quiet. Never talk to anyone. Kept to ourselves. Udon Thani was our jump base. To watch the trail.
Sure glad that nothing like this happened while I was there at Udorn in 1972-1973. Proof that any airbase whose mission is to carry out bombing missions carries an inherent danger of catastrophies like this.
Sadly and with all of the population there was there an opportunity to fly the crippled plane out away from the base? I was stationed there in 1972 and little was said about this but it is indeed sobering that this happened and tragic for the losses. (pisses me off actually)
TDY from TSN 2/69 Checkerboard
I was two blocks away when the AFTN station was hit. Didn't know this video was made and available until now. Captures everything I saw and remembered.
คุณพ่อผมประจำการที่ฐานบินอุดรธานี ค.ศ.1974-1975เขาชื่อjohn winterbower อยู่รัฐมุสซูรี่ผมอยากเจอเขามากครับรอเขามา47ปีแล้วครับตอนนี้ผมรอเขาที่อุดรธานีครับติดต่อเขาไม่ได้ช่วยผมทีครับ
More here... bobwertzcm.tripod.com/AFTN/memorial.htm
Long way from home.. shouldn't be there in the first...yep