Stolen C130?
 

Some years ago there was a story about a USAF C130 being stolen from a base in England by a mechanic, and it being shot down off the south coast of England by F4's, any truth?

Re: Stolen C130?
 

May 23, 1969 : Lockheed C-130E Hercules 63-7789 ?

Re: Stolen C130?
 

From Joseph Baugher's site, my go-to source for US military aircraft:

7789 (c/n 382-3856, 36th TAS) stolen by a crew chief at RAF Mildenhall who was having
marital problems and who was drinking heavily and wanted to go home.
Crashed in sea off Alderney, Channel Islands, UK May 23, 1969.
Official story is that the illegal pilot got disoriented
in clouds and crashed. There was speculation that the aircraft was
shot down to avoid crashing into a populated area, but this has
always been denied. It is true that a pair of F-100Ds were scrambled
from RAF Lakenheath to give chase.

Re: Stolen C130?
 

Was this poor guy's body recovered?

Re: Stolen C130?
 

I seem to remember a report possibly the late 1950s of a USAF groundcrewman taking a B-45 Tornado up from a UK base, I can't remember the outcome, can anyone confirm.

Brian Bines

Update :- it would appear this happened in June 1958 the airman took-off from Alconbury but was killed when the B-45 crashed near the main London to Edinburgh rail line at Wood Walton. This was Airman 2nd. Class Mechanic Vernon L, Morgan in B-45A-5-NA no.47-046 0f the 86th BS, 47th Bomber Wing crashing 3 minutes after take-off.