The Roswell Report: Case Closed

Fig. 8. Main entrance of the
4036th USAF hospital at
Walker AFB, 1956. Initial
identification procedures of
the 11 aircrewmen killed in
the June 26, 1956 KC-97
accident were conducted here
before being transferred to
another facility on the base
with refrigeration capability.
(U.S. Air Force photo)
The accident occurred on June 26, 1956, 8.8 statute miles south
of Walker AFB. 121 A KC-97G aircraft with 11 crewmen on board, while
on a refueling training mission, experienced a propeller failure four and
one half minutes after takeoff. 122 As a result of the propeller failure,
a propeller blade was believed to have punctured the deck fuel tank of
the fully loaded tanker causing an intense cabin fire. 123 The aircraft
was quickly engulfed in flames, spun out of control, and was completely
destroyed. All 11 Air Force members were killed instantly by the fire and
impact explosion. 124 Due to the isolated rural impact location on property
owned by the state of New Mexico, there was minimal collateral damage
and no fatalities or injuries to persons on the ground. 125
The remains of the crewmen were recovered from the crash
site and transported by members of the 4036th USAF Hospital (numerical
designation of the hospital at Walker AFB) to the hospital facility at Walker
AFB for identification. 126
On the day following the crash, an identification specialist from
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio arrived at the hospital to assist in identifying the
remains. 127 Part way through the identification process, conducted by both
the identification specialist and Air Force members assigned to the Walker
AFB hospital, the identification activities were moved to a refrigerated
compartment at the Walker AFB commissary. 128 This was due to an
overpowering odor emitted by the burned and fuel-soaked bodies and the lack of
proper storage facilities at the small base hospital. 129 Also on the day following
the crash, June 27, 1956, autopsies of three of the victims were accomplished by
a local Roswell pathologist. 130 These examinations were performed at a local
funeral home. 131 Upon completion of the identification procedures and the post-
mortem examinations, the remains were shipped to the next of kin for burial.
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