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MSgt Greg Peterson (Zip)
to remember
Reinhart, Victor John, Lt Col.
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Contact Info
Home Town New Ulm
Last Address 3291 Suburban Drive Dayton, OH 45432
Date of Passing Jun 13, 1971
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Department of the Air Force
Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Division (AFSC)
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio 45433
21 June 1971
Mrs. Elizabeth C. Reinhart
209 South Minnesota Street
New Ulm, MN 56073
Dear Mrs. Reinhart
Please accept my heartfelt condolences on the death of your son Lt. Colonel Victor J. Reinhart. Vic was highly respected by the members of the 4950th Test Wing.
I would like to convey to you the circumstances of Vic's death as we understand them. Vic was aboard a C-135B aircraft that departed American Samoa the morning of 13 June 1971 enroute to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Abut two hours out of Hickam Air Foce Base, radio contact with the aircraft was lost. An air rescue aircraft was immediately dispatched along the C-135B's route of flight. Approximately seven hundred miles South West of of Hawaii the search aircraft observed a crash position indicator and debris floating on the water. United States Navy destroyer USS Edwards and a British merchant vessel, the Amalric, proceeded to the crash location along with six rescue aircraft and established a search pattern which was carried out for five days. The search revealed numerous amounts of debris which have been identified as that of a C-135B aircraft. Positive identification of the debris from the C-135B Aircraft Vick was aboard has been made. All circumstances and factors involved have been analyzed and evaluated by the on-sight commander at Hickam Air Force Base and conclusive evidence of death is considered to exist.
I am proud to have been associated with Vic, and I join with the men of the 4950th Test Wing in expressing our deepest sympathy at his loss.
Sincerely,
James T. Stewart
Lt. General, USAF
Commander
Other Comments:
Notes:
"A Boeing C-135B plane, (# 61-0331) was destroyed in an accident in the Pacific Ocean, 113 km off Hawaii, USA. All 24 crew members were killed. The airplane operated on a flight from Pago Pago International Airport (PPG) to Honolulu-Hickam AFB, HI (HIK).
The C-135 was operated by USAF, 4950th Test Wing for the Space and Missile System Office (SAMSO). It had been observing the French Encelade atmospheric nuclear test at Mururoa."
This aircraft was a former Telemetry Range Instrumentation Aircraft, it had been recently converted to detect and analyze nuclear explosions and their related electromagnetic pulses.
Those lost were:
Military:
Colonel Billy L. Skipworth - Pilot and commander of the 2nd Airborne Command and Control Squadron
Lieutenant Colonel Victor J. Reinhart , navigator
Major William H. Unsderfer, aircraft commander
Major William E. Page,Jr. -pilot
Major John R. McGinn, navigator
Major Joseph B. William
Captain Byron C. Burnett , Copilot
1st Lt. James M. Gilbert, III
TSgt. Hubert Miles, Jr., boom operator
Staff Sergeant Kenneth S. Kowal, crew chief
Staff Sergeant Elno R. Reimer - flight engineer (listed as Reimer, Welmer, and Wirner in all news reports)
Major Joseph B. WIlliam
Captain Perry T. Rose, pilot
Civilian:
Anthony J. Theriault, an employee of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory
John P. Cahill, an employee of the Air Force Cambridge
David Penney, an employee of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory
Dean L. Hoar, an employee of Ling-Temco-Vought Aerospace
Rolla F. Blanchard, an employee of Ling-Temco-Vought Aerospace
Charles V. Ditto, an employee of Ling-Temco-Vought Aerospace
Thomas R. Connor
Donald E. Ashland
John B. Tumas, an employee of LTV Electro Systems
Edward M. Slagel, an employee of Westinghouse Corp.
Dr. Thomas J. Walter, an employee of the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory
Allen Morissette, an employee of Avco Corp.
News article:
"Abileneian's Relative on Missing Plane," The Abilene Report News, 15 June 1971, pp. 1 and 4
His body was not recovered. He has a memorial stone in Arlington.
1970-1971, C-135 Stratolifter
From Year 1970
To Year 1971
Personal Memories
Assigned to ASD 4950th Test Wing as Chief of the Navigation Bomb Section of Bomber Operations Division.
Image
C-135 Stratolifter Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
C-135A/E/R
Fifteen C-135As, powered by J57 turbojets, were built. In later years, almost all were upgraded with TF33 turbofan engines and wide-span tail planes, and were re-designated C-135E. Later on most of the C-135Es were re-engined again, using the more powerful turbofan engine, the CFM-56-2A.
Model Boeing 707-320C Length 149.61 ft | 45.60 m Width 145.73 ft | 44.42 m Height 0.00 ft | 0.00 m Engine(s) 4 x Pratt & Whitney JT3D-7 turbofans generating 19,000lbs of standard thrust each. Empty Weight 145,999 lbs | 66,224 kg MTOW 333,592 lbs | 151,315 kg Max Speed 551 mph | 886 km/h | 478 kts Max Range 4,300 miles | 6,920 km Ceiling 38,993 ft | 11,885 m | 7.4 miles Climb Rate Not Available Hardpoints 0 Armament None. Accommodations 9 + 189