On 4 April 1975, [note 1] a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy participating in the first mission of Operation Babylift crashed on approach during an emergency landing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam. The cause was ascribed to loss of flight control due to explosive decompression and structural failure.

Three C-5 Galaxy aircraft have been lost in crashes along with two class-A losses resulting from ground fire, with a combined total of 169 fatalities. At least two other C-5 crashes have resulted in major airframe damage, but the aircraft were repaired and returned to service.

The airplane struck the ground a first time at a speed of 250 knots about 4 km short of runway 25L, bounced for three seconds and then crashed 500 meters further in a rice paddy field. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and debris scattered on a wide area.

Tragically, the most widely publicized C-5 flight occurred on Apr. 4, 1975, when C-5A Galaxy 68-0218 (S/N 0021) crashed during “Operation Babylift.” As the Air Force’s largest strategic airlifter, the C-5 Galaxy can carry more cargo farther distances than any other aircraft.

2015年4月26日 · In 1975, the first flight of orphans out of Vietnam made a crash landing, and many died. Forty years later, some of the survivors have reconnected, helping to lessen their lingering grief. Aerial...

2006年6月21日 · All 17 people on board the C-5 survived the crash, but three crewmembers were seriously injured when the aircraft stalled, hit a utility pole and crashed into a field about a mile short of the runway. The other passengers and crewmembers sustained minor injures and were treated and released from local hospitals.

The Lockheed C-5A Galaxy (68-0218) was engaged in Operation Babylift, a mission to bring Vietnamese orphans to the US in the few remaining days before the Republic of Vietnam fell. The C-5 departed Saigon-Tan Son Nhut Airport at 16:03.

1990年8月29日 · Out of control, the airplane lost height and crashed in a wooded area located about one km past the runway end. Four occupants were seriously injured while 13 others were killed. The aircraft was totally destroyed. It was determined that the thrust reverser on engine n°1 inadvertently deployed shortly after liftoff due to technical issue.

The Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident refers to the 4 April 1975 [Notes 1] crash of Lockheed C-5A Galaxy serial number 68-0218 participating in Operation Babylift. The C-5 crashed on approach during an emergency landing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam. The cause was ascribed to loss of flight control due to explosive decompression and ...

1975年4月4日 · “Prior to the fatal C-5A crash, New York’s Cardinal Terrence Cooke had sent a plea to President Gerald Ford for federal support and an immediate waiver of immigration red tape for more than 4,000 children living in Catholic orphanages in South Vietnam.