TFH 4/3: A Wounded C-5, Two Heroic Pilots

April 1975 was the final days of the Vietnam War. As our South Vietnamese allies collapsed, the United States began evacuating Vietnamese civilians and remaining Americans. One of these evacuation plans was called Operation Babylift and was announced by President Ford on April 3, 1975. The intent was to evacuate children and orphans, many of whose fathers were American servicemen.

On April 4, the first evacuation flight on a USAF Lockheed C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft met with disaster. Not long into the flight from Tan Son Nhut Air Base outside Saigon to Clark Air Base in the Philippines, the Galaxy flown by two Captains - Dennis W. Traynor, III (aircraft commander) and Tilford W. Harp - the rear loading ramp locks failed and the plane suffered explosive decompression. Two of the four hydraulic systems aboard the giant airlifter failed and the control cables to the tail area were severed. Traynor and Harp struggled to keep the plane aloft. Through their incredible skill and courage as airmen, they were able to guide their wounded plane to a crash landing and managed to save the lives of slightly more than half of the plane's passengers and crew. They received the two of the final Air Force Crosses awarded for valor during the Vietnam War.


Air Force Cross Citation for Aircraft Commander Captain Dennis W. Traynor, III:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Captain Dennis W. Traynor, III, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism and airmanship while engaged in a humanitarian mission as Aircraft Commander of an Air Force C-5A aircraft of the 22d Airlift Squadron, Clark Air Base, Philippine Islands, in action at Saigon, Vietnam on 3 April 1975. On that date, the aircraft, carrying 330 passengers and crew, experienced a serious in-flight emergency which could have resulted in the loss of life for all aboard. With no aircraft controls except one aileron and the engines, Captain Traynor guided the crippled aircraft to a crash landing in a rice paddy, thereby saving the lives of 176 of the people on board. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness, Captain Traynor reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

Air Force Cross Citation for Co-Pilot Captain Tilford W. Harp:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Captain Tilford W. Harp, United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism and airmanship while engaged in a humanitarian mission as Co-Pilot of an Air Force C-5A aircraft of the 22d Airlift Squadron, Clark Air Base, Philippine Islands, in action at Saigon, Vietnam, on 3 April 1975. On that date, his aircraft, carrying 330 passengers and crew, experienced a serious in-flight emergency which could have resulted in the loss of life for all aboard. With no aircraft controls except one aileron and the engines, Captain Harp provided exceptionally vital assistance to the Aircraft Commander in guiding the crippled aircraft to a crash landing in a rice paddy, thereby saving the lives of 176 of the people on board. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness, Captain Harp reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

Both Traynor and Harp also received the Airman's Medal for their courage after the crash in attempting to save the survivors. I believe the discrepancy in the dates of the citations to be due to the time/date difference between the United States and southeast Asia. Events that transpired on April 4, 1975 in Vietnam would have happened on April 3rd in the US.

Dennis W. Traynor, III retired as a Colonel in 1995. Tilford Harp, United States Air Force Academy Class of 1970, retired from the Air Force in 1994.

Today, the 22d Airlift Squadron still flies the C-5 as part of the 60th Operations Group, 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base, California.