22 September 1995 - USAF 27

A USAF E-3B Sentry, 77-0354, c/n 21554, of the 962nd AACS, 552nd ACW, crashes shortly after take off from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, when a flock of Canadian snow geese were ingested by its engines. All 26 crew members die, including 2 Canadian air crew members.
This was the first loss of an E-3 since the type entered service in 1977.

Boeing E-3B Sentry 77-0354 was military Boeing 707-derivative, a.o. equipped and AWACS system. The aircraft, operated by the US Air Force 962nd Airborne Air Control Sqn, 3rd Wing, was assigned call-sign Yukla 27 for a 6.2 hr training mission. At 07.43h Yukla 27 was holding short of runway 5, waiting for takeoff, when a Lockheed Hercules departed. This aircraft disturbed a flock of Canada geese. The Yukla 27 crew were not warned about this by the tower controller. At 07.45h they were cleared for takeoff and the throttles were advanced. As the plane rotated for lift-off numerous geese were ingested in the no.1 and 2 engines resulting in a catastrophic no.2 engine failure and a stalling no.1 engine. The crew initiated a slow climbing turn to the left and began to dump fuel. The aircraft attained a maximum altitude of 250ft before it started to descend. The plane impacted a hilly, wooded area less than a mile from the runway, broke up, exploded and burned.

Yukla memorial

Transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)