Page 46 - Aviation News (February 2020)

During a night mission on the crew to go to oxygen. River
October 4, 1968 for the first time Amber disappeared over the sea
a Soviet multiple warhead missile with all 19 crew. No trace of the
was tracked. When the Soviets aircraft or crew has ever been
switched to day launches, new found and the cause of the loss
camera lenses were introduced. officially remains undetermined.
Occasionally the finish on the A replacement, C-135B 61-
Rivet Ball’s upper wing had 2663, was quickly identified.
reflected low-angle sunlight, Its interim fit used some of the
blinding the cameras. When the equipment salvaged from Rivet
aircraft next returned from Big Ball, with a single camera window
Safari modification the starboard and dipole aerials. It began flying
wing and inner engine sides were from Eielson in early 1970.
painted black to reduce the glare. EC-135N 61-2664, then
It was the beginning of a tradition with a bulbous nose and
that continues today, although no equipped as an Apollo Range
longer necessary. Instrumentation Aircraft, was
On return from a successful selected for conversion. Both
mission the camera’s calibration were designated RC-135S and
was rechecked and exposed film their equipment was regularly
and tape recordings removed. upgraded during periodic Big
They were sent under armed Safari depot maintenance
guard to Wright-Patterson AFB, periods. The number of fuselage
Ohio for exploitation. The aircraft windows decreased as fewer
was refuelled, towed back into cameras were carried, while the
the hangar, reloaded with film and forward fuselage aerials remained
prepared to fly. It would be ready with slight positional changes.
to go again within eight hours. Importantly both aircraft were
Just after midnight on January fitted with TF33-P-5 engines,
13, 1969, Rivet Ball pilot Maj which had thrust reversers to
John Anchor made a normal shorten landing runs on Shemya.
touchdown but struggled to brake on To follow incoming ICBMs the manual tracker Both continued operating successfully
the refreezing ice and slush covering sights his cameras with a modified B-50 until tragedy struck again on March 15,
the runway. The aircraft hydroplaned, gunsight aimed out of a spine-mounted 1981, when 61-2664, attempting to land
blister on Rivet Ball, 59-1491. Via Lt Col Kingdon
unable to stop before sliding off the end Hawes (ret’d) on Shemya, struck the approach lights and
of Shemya’s Runway 28, into a 40ft (12m) crashed, killing six of the 24 crew.
ravine. The fuselage broke in half, but electrical power consumption and Replacement arrangements were again
amazingly all the crew escaped. required installation of an external power rapidly put in hand on C-135B 61-2662,
Hayes remembers: “About six hours generator under the left wing. The onboard from the 4950th Test Wing. It was modified
after the crash, Raven Capt Joe Hall, who equipment created excessive heat in the to RC-135S standard and was ready for
survived the crash, walked to the site to crew cabin that was managed by a pod- duty at Eielson from December 11, 1983.
look over the destroyed aircraft. Suddenly mounted heat exchanger fitted under the Another early KC-135A, 55-3121, which
two long-range Soviet Tu-16 Badger jets right wing. Both these pods resembled small had been modified for reconnaissance but
made a low-altitude, high-speed pass over engines. Rivet Amber and Rivet Ball often not redesignated, had its recce equipment
the wreckage. It was very unexpected and operated together. removed to become an RC-135T flight crew
not much was said about it afterwards.” Less than five months after the Rivet trainer from December 1979. On February
Ball crash, disaster struck again. On June 28, 1985 flying approaches at Valdez airfield
LISA ANN TO COBRA 5, 1969, around 45 minutes after Rivet in Alaska, it crashed on a nearby mountain
BALL Amber left Shemya, headed for Eielson, with the loss of all three onboard.
RC-135E Lisa Ann (62-4137) was modified it missed a routine position report. A last Capt Robert Hopkins (ret’d) was an RC-
by contractor LTV and re-delivered transmission recorded the pilot telling 135S pilot in the late 1980s. He describes
to Strategic Air the often treacherous
Command (SAC) in landing conditions at
September 1966. It Shemya: “Flying final
became Rivet Amber approach you could
in 1967 and arrived on be in a dense fog,
Shemya that autumn. normally associated
Modification included with still conditions,
an 18in (45cm) forward whilst simultaneously
fuselage extension and having to deal with
significant strengthening a 30kts crosswind
to accommodate gusting to 70kts.
a powerful phased You had to be a very
array radar. The hands-on. Whilst firmly
metal starboard side positioned on the
forward fuselage Instrument Landing
skin was replaced System glide path,
with a fibreglass the airplane could be
one. The new radar Rivet Ball RC-135S in the hangar at Shemya with temporary Sharks teeth markings. Via Lt weather-vaned at 30°
dramatically increased Col Kingdon Hawes (ret’d) to the runway. The

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