INCIDENT AT SAND POINT

Air Classics, Sep 2004 by McVay, Leroy

RECALLING A US NAVY SKYMASTER FLIGHT THAT WENT TERRIBLY WRONG

The 19th of January 1957 is a day some 50 NAS Sand Point sailors will never forget. We'd spent two weeks in NAS Los Alamitos, California, training a reserve squadron with Grumman S2F-1 Tracker anti-submarine aircraft. I was an active duty reserve second-class aviation machinist mate. For our return flight, the maintenance people and several reserves were transported on a Douglas R5D (C-54) Skymaster from Los AlamiUis with a reserve flight crew. Weather in Seattle was off and on snow showers. We later learned the Seattle-based transport, with the remaining personnel, heard about the weather and stayed overnight in Oakland to wait it out.

On arrival at Seattle we made a total of four approaches to NAS Sand Point before we stayed on the ground. Final approach to Sand Point is over Lake Washington. Weather was such that our local pilots would have likely made a GCA surveillance landing, not a full GCA approach. The first GCA approach was way off to the left. We could see St. Edward's Seminary (now St. Edward's Park) almost directly below us; it should have been at about 45-deg to our left. On the first approach GCA waved us off for being off course.

The second approach was a little fast and one wing high hut we got on the runway. To correct for the high wing, the pilot applied power to the low wing. This, coupled with speed and a snowcovered runway with a hump in the center, resulted in the plane going too fast to stop. At the very last minute, the pilot applied full power to all four Pratt & Whitney R-2000 engines for a go-around. Just past the end of the runway and, still on the ground, the right landing gear struck a drainage ditch. This resulted in the main spar on the right wing breaking and the wing deflecting upward. The wing looked like an F4U Corsair - bent. By the grace of God, and those P&W Dependable Engines, we got airborne again. The pilots stayed very close to the ground/lake as we came around, maintaining visual contact so they would not have to make another full GCA approach. We could see three-tab roofing on the houses east of Lake Washington.

The seat I was in was turned around and had a table between it and the last row, near the loading door on the left side. Along with me were Chief Roy Arp, AD1 Tom Pfeiffer, and another second-class whose name I don't recall. As we were coming around, the senior pilot came back to inspect the damage. Chief Arp asked the pilot for parachutes so we could bail out. The pilot replied, "We don't have enough to go around." To which Chief Arp countered, "I'll take the first one!" We were sure the wing would snap off and we'd go spiraling into the lake. The four of us shook hands and said, "See you some place."

Survival skills kicked in: I untied my shoes, released my belt buckle and opened the fly. This was so that, if I survived, I could get my pants off to use as a life jacket. Sailors are trained to remove their pants, tread water, tie a knot in each pants leg and flip them over their head to fill them with air. Worked great in the swimming pool at boot camp in San Diego, but I doubt it would have worked in Lake Washington when it's snowing. We were briefed on crash positions; foul weather jackets off and covering our faces, seat belts as tight as we could get them.

On our third approach we were waved off as the crash equipment was not in position to receive us. The tower couldn't see us due to the weather and thought we'd gone off the end of the runway and into Lake Washington. We were so low we were off GCA radar. Just what we needed - a go-around with a damaged wing!

Approach number four was also made at very low altitude. So low in fact, that the pilots had to pull up slightly to get the plane on the runway! As we touched down everything went great until we lost lift and settled on that right main gear and damaged wing. The wing snapped off; we rolled to the right and onto the top of the fuselage. The operations building was full of loved ones waiting for us to come home. They got more of a show than they expected. We were upside down and sliding directly toward the building. An alert crash-crew saw what was happening and pulled their rig into position to block us from hitting the building. We stopped about 100-ft from the engine.

We could hear the crash trucks spraying foam on the fuselage as we slid along. When we started to slow down I released my seat belt and rolled to the ceiling. Tom Pfeiffer did the same. Tom opened the main door as I grabbed a seat and held him by his pants. When we finally stopped both of us got the hell out of there! We both got a face full of foam from the crash trucks. Tasted pretty bad - or should that be pretty good because we were alive and able to taste it? There were no physical injuries except the crew chief got a bump on the head.

Training kicked in again as we all assembled for a head count to be certain everyone was out. Tom and I then adjourned to the operations building and the room where we usually stood our watches. My original plan was to ride home with Tom and his wife, but she brought along a carload of neighbor kids. So kids, how'd you like that landing?