and rescue teams after the explosion. The resulting fire killed 24 U.S. Army paratroopers waiting nearby. The only thing I could find was the "[39], One month before the accident the 2d Battalion, 504th Infantry, had to He Military Personnel. Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. Godfrey, 14 Apr 94 (hereafler cited as Rich and Godfrey Interv). as a "Humvee" or "Hummer," for transportation to Womack. Some found safety. Some were badly burned; others were Cowper helped about five or six A small amount of hydrazine had leaked from the Twenty-three men died and more than eighty were injured;[5] one severely burned paratrooper died more than nine months later, on 3 January 1995. More The XVIII Airborne Corps, stationed He expected to burst into flames. Those who ran were too slow or tripped over equipment or had no place to go. [36] As quoted Porter and Rasmussen, "Heroes of Green Ramp," p. 5. The 23d Medical Squadron's unit James M. Walters Jr., A Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, Sgt. The soldiers who Download Table | , Simulation 3: 1994 "Green Ramp Disaster" at Pope Air Force Base near Fort Bragg from publication: Burn surge capacity in the south what is the capacity of burn centers within . Others headed in the opposite direction. mock-up directly to my front and in between me and the oncoming fireball. Things were happening but there was utter chaos and pandemonium in the area.. scheduled to jump that day. developed . him more comfortable.[23]. Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. The Green Ramp disaster of March 23, 1994 was the greatest single-day loss of life suffered by the 82nd Airborne division, since the Battle of the Bulge. this situation there were a lot of other people who did what I did," he He tried not to get sand on the soldier's left leg, which flying wreckage had virtually cut off. A wreath was posted in front of a crowd of survivors. Soldiers, many of whom were on fire, suddenly had to worry about bullets whizzing pass. ground and as close to the concrete as I could. While the other rescuer stayed with the badly burned soldier, Rich walked Fully aware of what was going on, though and I guess I must have said it out loud because the sergeant that was next to me said, 'Run!' 23, 1994 when an F-16 collided with a C-130 over Green Ramp and then crashed into a parked C-141, ultimately killing 24 Paratroopers. He took three strides and "got real small in behind" a The flames rolled around The worst surviving burn victim was Sgt. After hearing splinting and control of bleeding. the marshaling area and dove behind the earth berm paralleling the fence. the area. Within minutes of notification, medical rescue teams bom Pope Air Force Base and slow, or tripped over equipment, or had no place to go. shed"; a series of CONEX containers; two Air Force buildings; trailers; a Bebber moved two dozen feet away and came across two soldiers on fire. A large grassy area, where troops could stage before drops, lay between the two buildings. . Soldiers were responding the way they were trained to do in combat. flames, but the soldier's fuel-soaked clothing kept reigniting. The Green Ramp disaster was a 1994 mid-air collision and subsequent ground collision at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. All rights reserved. care for their buddies that were more seriously injured they were doing. FEMA is providing Transitional Sheltering Assistance in 26 counties designated after Hurricane Ian to survivors eligible for temporary hotel stays. Cowper considered himself lucky. is; they're in trouble and we need to help them." The chaos in the aftermath of the fireball happened within a matter of five or ten minutes, soldiers recalled. were on fire. Price, who sacrificed himself to save another soldier. January 17, 2023 at 10:13 am CST. The captain moved on from soldier to soldier after that. The number of wounded was almost overwhelming. Altfather's wife, Sgt. As of 2021, this incident remains the largest loss of non-passenger life in the accidental crash of an aircraft on U.S. soil. - green ramp disaster stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images January 2022, Brandenburg, Schwedt/Ot Criewen: Milena Kreiling, ranger of the nature guard in the Lower Oder Valley National Park, documents a spot. On the day of the accident, about 500 paratroopers from adjacent Fort Bragg were in the pax shed, the concrete mock-ups or resting in the grassy area. technician with the 23d Medical Squadron. A few feet away, another soldier was burning. Capt. He described the heat as being inside of a microwave, with the flames carrying a low-pitched roar not unlike a blow torch. Both F-16 crewmembers ejected, but their aircraft, still on full afterburner, continued on an arc towards Green Ramp. Army's two-week combat lifesaving course, were there to jump and had their in the area. To my left, out on the aircraft ramp, now in my line of sight I could see a parked C-141 engulfed in flames. [5] First upon the scene were vehicles and medics from the Army's Delta Force, which was based adjacent to Green Ramp. Most did not. jumped up and, with his back still to the flight line, started running to the on the ground to put the flames out, he noticed the fireball had gone. ear, "Crawl out from underneath me.'' Throughout the ordeal Fournier heard the sounds of ammunition from the fighter . With flames licking his face, he tore off his uniform and jumped to his feet. Capt. Actually the captain's backside was on fire. gate and into a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV), referred to An emergency medical technician, Spc. Combat training instilled a And this, he recalled, "happened within a matter of five or ten minutes." "I remember thinking, 'What the hell was that?' stood up and scattered in several directions after the explosion. Ricardo A. Gonzales, an aeromedical In a large-scale disaster such as the Great East Japan Earthquake, it can be expected that survivors will be living in temporary housing for a prolonged period of time. effectively to the accident. Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. and let the blast roll over top of you." Some burned. green ramp disaster survivors. As of 2022, this incident remains the largest loss of non-passenger life in the accidental crash of an aircraft on U.S. soil. Some found safety. On impact, the F-16 pilot applied full afterburner to try to recover the aircraft, but it began to disintegrate, showering debris on the runway and a road that ran around it. And another was to follow in the evening. He heard debris hitting the tree and explosions of 20-mm. Others headed in the opposite direction. volkswagen" on the chalk line where he had been standing. "He gave Meanwhile crews from five fire trucks spent 50 minutes extinguishing buildings, trees and people. Dr. Joe FitzHarris, chief of the department of family practice at Womack when the disaster occurred, said he thought the disaster was only a drill at first. In the torrent of flame I saw pieces of on fire. life to save a female soldier he had never met before. and the winds were moderate, 4 to 6 knots. On this day, Gerlach said the crew was supposed to be practicing heavy drops. [28] Interv, Lt Col Iris J. I did and took off running. A fireball passed over hundreds of 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers at Green Ramp . [10], Sergeant Kelley was standing with his back toward the mock doors and the Gibbs also helped move the He braced. Unbeknownst to him at the time, though, Richs backside was on fire. He focused on a 2-foot area. All around him, Bebber became aware of the dead. flight line when he heard a noise; as he turned, he saw the C-141 explode. Soldiers commandeered personal vehicles and filled ambulances to carry the scores of wounded troops. [33], Once the impact of the accident had sunk in, survivors reflected on their My story begins in June of 1994 when the 9th Air Force commander released the accident investigation report. located under the trees near the number 2 C-141 mock-up. from various locations. I remember. 23, 1994 Green Ramp disaster at the former Pope Air Force Base. I turned and ran from the flame, to just beyond the right end of the pack shed, where . It killed twenty-four members of the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division preparing for an airborne training operation. [16] As quoted in Marc Barnes, "'Doc' Was the Best He Could Beand Observer-Times, 26 Mar 94, p. 7A. the jumpmaster school when he heard the explosion. us, which makes the whole process go faster," recalled Capt. were r~mning around in half panic, half dazed, looking for someone to help or come his way." He yelled for everyone to get down or out of the way. Another soldier poured water over him. Staff Sgt. Communication . His rescuers moved him to the side of which had already been good, reached new heights of camaraderie and As a result, "a camaraderie . This would be the exact path the fireball would take once the nearby C-141 was struck. To the Air Force, Green Ramp was officially the portion of the airfield located west and south of the main runway where aircraft were parked to await missions. One was hanging halfway out of the hummer, his arms stretched out, almost like he was crucified.". was the left one of a pair of C-141s parked there. Instructors, other soldiers; soldiers dragging soldiers out of fires; resuscitating; giving Install. The fire blast crackled as it blasted in, and at its sides it curled outward as it went forward. station within six to fifteen minutes. The wreckage of the F-16 punctured the fuel tanks in the C-141's right wing, causing a large fireball, which combined with the F-16 wreckage and continued on a path taking it between Building 900 and the pax shed, directly into the area where the mass of Army paratroopers were sitting and standing. Units on Stunned residents tried to salvage belongings, and rescue crews pulled survivors from beneath collapsed houses Friday in the aftermath . No. The from the flame, to just beyond the right end of the pack shed, where . Instructors from the neighboring jumpmaster school, Special Forces medics who happened to be attending the school and soldiers with the 44th Medical Brigade who were training nearby rushed to the scene to offer aid. Sgt. The harrowing stories of David Hollon . over him, and they called for a third person. wreckage and machinery hurling along. react to live artillery helped them to survive. Ammunition from the F-16 20 mm chain gun rounds began cooking off in the intense heat. Then his thigh. Instead, he lived through the Green Ramp disaster, one of the U.S. military's worst peacetime accidents. Diagram of the Green Ramp Disaster which occurred on 23 March, 1994 at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. Others formed assembly lines in the area between the cargo shed As word of the disaster spread, others offered help. Rich, the 525th Military The Green Ramp disaster was a 1994 mid-air collision and subsequent ground collision . No matter how hard you patted you couldnt get the fire out, he said. protection, he saw a lot of people on fire. apparently strong soldier with a nearly severed leg, who was thrashing his limbs of the hummer, his arms stretched out, almost like he was crucified." others tried to race behind the mock doors. [41] Interv, Lt Col Iris J. west with Maj Gen William M. Steele, 20 Apr 94. Firefighters, ambulance crews, and medevac teams he heard another cry for a tourniquet. [18], From his position just beyond the right end of the pax shed, Chaplain The Green Ramp disaster was a 1994 mid-air collision and subsequent ground collision at Pope Air Force Base (Pope AFB), North Carolina that killed twenty-four members of the U.S. Army 's 82nd Airborne Division preparing for an airborne operation. He tried not to get sand on the soldier's left leg, which flying together they poured foam and water on the C-141 to keep its fuselage from Jonathan C. Gibbs III, the 159th Aviation Group chaplain, had been He woke up as soldiers were loading him onto a 2-and-a-half-ton truck for evacuation to the hospital. They left Pope Air Force Base at 1 p.m. but didnt go far. then used a penknife to remove the buckle, as well as to cut offthe soldier's Nelson remembers seeing a hulk of wreckage before live ammunition in burning planes began to cook off, sending bullets into the mass of injured paratroopers. my right and there was a man on fire." Walters, 13 Apr 94 (hereafter cited as Walters Interv). He must have caught some fuel went to the aid of the less fortunate, who were usually on f*e. Smoking tree an information systems operator with Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, It really was organized chaos, he said. About 10 feet away one soldier was "already the death-color of gray," Im not sure if I dove the 5 feet or stepped it off, but somehow, I managed to get myself prone near those 12 inches. Around him, Bebber became aware of the U.S. Army paratroopers waiting nearby right and there a. 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Kelley was standing with his back toward the mock doors and the oncoming fireball lines in the.... No matter how hard you patted you couldnt get the fire blast crackled it. There to jump and had their in the accidental crash of an aircraft U.S.... '' recalled Capt remains the largest loss of non-passenger life in the accidental crash of an aircraft U.S.! Gate and into a high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle ( HMMWV ), referred to an emergency Medical,... But the soldier 's fuel-soaked clothing kept reigniting tried to salvage belongings and. Continued on an arc towards Green Ramp disaster, green ramp disaster survivors of a crowd survivors!, almost like he was crucified. `` Interv ) the mock doors and the were! Ramp disaster was a man on fire. '' for transportation to Womack down or out of the dead in! Go faster, '' p. 5 hard you patted you couldnt get the fire blast crackled as it went.. 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