[KWE Note: We are currently seeking information about this Globemaster crash and
encourage anyone who had information or details about it to share it on this page of the KWE’s Airplane
Crash topics page. Contact Lynnita Brown,
lynnita@koreanwar-educator.org or phone 217-253-4620 (Illinois) in the evening; 217-253-5171 days.]
Most recent additions: July 07, 2009
Page Contents
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About the Crash
A Douglas C-124A-DL Globemaster II aircraft (registration number 51-0141) departed from Seoul-Kimpo
International Airport on February 22, 1957, and crashed shortly after takeoff at 20:00. There were 159
occupants on the plane (10 crew members and 149 passengers), and of those 21 were fatalities.
According to the website www.planecrashinfo.com:
“The No. 3 engine seized, causing the propeller to come loose and slice through the side of the
fuselage making two full turns before exiting. It took two men out with it, idled the No. 4 engine and cut
the throttle cable. While attempting an emergency return landing at Kimpo Air Base, level flight could not
be maintained and the aircraft descended, crashing into the Han River.”
According to Antony J. Tambini's book, Douglas Jumbo's: The Globemaster (pp. 136-137:
"Departed Kimpo AB, Korea for Tachikawa AB, Japan. After take-off, and upon reaching climb power,
the number 3 engine started backfiring, subsequently explosions were heard, and the engine caught fire.
The engineer feathered the engine, and the pilot declared an emergency and started to return to base.
Parts of the exploding engine flew into the lower "P" compartment and struck hydraulic system components.
The pilot subsequently lost aileron control, and at the same time the engineer reported a loss of power on
number 4 engine. Maximum power was applied to number 1 and 2 engines, the pilot and co-pilot
maintained wings level with the use of full rudder trim. The aircraft crash landed into a river,
with the landing gear in the up position. The aircraft was destroyed. There were 3 fatal, 3
major, and 4 minor injuries."
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Government Investigators
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Manifest (incomplete as of 6/2009)
- Brown, Caldwell Jr.
- Cartwright, James
- Morrison, Ralph
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Survivors (incomplete as of 6/2009)
- Cartwright, James
- Morrison, Ralph
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Pilot/Co-pilot Information
The Pilot
The Co-Pilot
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Weather Information
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Eye-Witness Testimonies
Rev. Ronald C. Bauer (sent to the Korean War Educator):
I came from St. Louis, Missouri originally, enlisting in the Army in January 1955, Fort Leonard Wood,
Missouri basic training, Ft. Lee, Virginia baking school honor graduate, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Korea, then
Fort Hood, Texas. Following my discharge I attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri,
then finished college at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. I then attended Nashotah House,
Nashotah, Wisconsin, a seminary of the Episcopal Church. I briefly considered returning to the
military life, but my wife of the time would not agree to that move. I led churches in Oklahoma,
Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, ending up retiring from St. Margaret of Scotland Church and School, San Juan
Capistrano, California, in 1998. In all I would have to say that the military and my experiences
there helped shape my character, maturity, and goals in life. It gave me a taste of moving I
probably would not choose by myself, making new friends and being responsible. I loved the
regularity of military life and the camaraderie.
--
As best I can remember, it was a bitingly cold and colorless day in the winter of 1957-1958. My
memory is fuzzy on the exact month, however, I was walking towards the 121 Evacuation Hospital in ASCOM
City Korea early afternoon. An alarm began sounding and eventually helicopters began coming in, one
after the other, much like bees to a hive. At the emergency room I met Father Berry, the Roman
Catholic Chaplain, and his assistant, Owen (I cannot remember his last name). They told me that
there had been a C-124 Globemaster that had crashed in the Han River after taking off from Kimpo Air Base.
Chaos was evident everywhere, but, within the chaos, there was a determination and fervent
professionalism by all the medical personnel. Since we were between our resident Protestant
Chaplain, Father Berry asked me to see if I could get the regional chaplain. I did and his driver
drove him over in about 45 minutes. He seemed to be a bit unwell so I suggested he stay in the
chapel and pray. I then assisted Father Berry and his assistant Owen to discover the denominations
of the soldiers coming in on stretchers. All the injured were trembling violently from hyperthermia
and it took over an hour before most could settle down. I am sure that the terror of the plane crash
also contributed to their trembling. The crash obviously over taxed our facilities, but you would
hardly have known it. Everyone just dug in and worked at a frantic pace through the night until
about noon the next day, before things progressed from chaos to simply very busy. The emergency room
became a triage production line while the operating rooms and intensive care unit worked nonstop
attempting to operate on or stabilize the most severally injured. After several days, the most
severe injured, who needed further specialized care, were picked up and flown to hospitals in Japan.
The less severely injured continued their recuperation at our hospital. I'm unclear whether or not
they eventually continued on to Japan or returned to their units.
During the ensuing days my job was to help those who wished to write letters back home but needed help
doing so. I talked with those who needed to talk and prayed with those who desired prayer.
During this ordeal Father Berry incessantly kept telling me that I should become a priest. I
eventually did but in the Episcopal Church. In fact, this event was pivotal in prompting me to join
the Anglican Church in Korea and I took instructions under Father Matthew Imre, 8th Army Chaplain, and was
confirmed by Bishop Chadwell, the assistant Bishop in Korea. I also got to know Bishop John Daily,
who was the Lord Bishop of Korea, on a personal level that lasted for many years even after he retired
back to England.
We can all be proud for the actions of the medical personnel at the 121st Evacuation Hospital.
From the high ranking medical officers to the lowest medical aide, all worked together like a finely made
Swiss watch. Watching MASH years later brought me constantly back to my memories of this fateful
winter day in Korea, except we were not as crazy.
It was within a week that Father Berry, Owen and I drove out to the wreckage site and took pictures.
It was a mangled mess of a half submerged plane covered with snow and ice. A very bleak sight.
It is a wonder anyone survived. Those that did owed the pilot many thanks for their skill in
bringing the plane down as gently as they did. As terrifying as the event was, there was also
something majestic and noble about everyone who just did what they do best, heal the injured and in some
cases give the dying comfort, prayer and last rites.
Bravery comes in many forms and not simply on the battlefield. The pilots of the Globemaster, the
helicopter pilots, the doctors, nurses, hospital aides and the surviving soldiers all showed a bravery
that is a merit to the military service to which they belonged.
I was in Korea because I had volunteered for a friend. I began with the 130th Quartermaster
Bakery and gravitated to the next compound when the Chaplain's Assistant job became open. The plane
crash and the ensuing days was a seminal experience in my road to the Episcopal Priest Hood. You
could see the need of experienced medical personnel in such hectic situations, but you could also see the
need for spiritual comfort and presence. It was like an anchor for those with faith, and even those
who had no faith were often very accepting of our presence and ministrations. The character of the
chaplains and the medical personnel was just humbling.
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Rescue/Recovery Efforts
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Obituaries
Brown, Caldwell Jr.
:"Specialist Second Class Caldwell Brown, Jr. (June 2, 1932-February 22, 1957) was born to Caldwell
Brown, Sr. (June 18, 1903-February 18, 1996) and Mary Lee (Ford) Brown (c. 1907-February 14, 1940) at Live
Oak, Matagorda County, Texas, and was a graduate of Van Vleck Herman High School. Attached to
Company L, 34th Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, he died when the C-124 Globemaster military aircraft
"flying boxcar" on which he was a passenger, crashed on the ice of the Han River approximately 11 miles
northeast of Kimpo Airfield (US base), South Korea.* Returned to the United States, he was buried at
the Vine Grove Christian Church Churchyard Cemetery in the Live Oak Community, next to his brother Hubert.
"His mother is also buried in this cemetery in a lost grave. Survivors included: wife: Geraldine
(Martin) Brown; son, Howard Earl; father, Caldwell Brown, Sr.; step-mother, Carrie (Woodard) Brown;
sisters, Pinky May and Erma Lee; brothers, Irving, Cash, and Hayward. At the time of his death his
wife was living in Bay City and his family was living at Cedar Lake."*NOTE: Shortly after taking off from
Kimpo Airfield with approximately 150 troops on board, a propeller came loose and cut through the
aircraft, cutting control cables. The Aircraft Commander, Major Cartwright, was able to set the
aircraft down in the middle of the Han River which was illuminated by moonlight reflecting off the ice on
the river. The aircraft split open forward of the tail section and was the escape route for most of
the passengers."
Source: www.rootsweb.ancestry.com
---
“Brown, Caldwell Jr. (June 2, 1932-February 22, 1957) – born to Caldwell Brown Sr. and Mary Lee Ford
Brown at Live Oak, Matagorda County, Texas. Brown was a graduate of Van Vleck Herman High School. He
served an induction term of two years in the U.S. Army and had recently re-enlisted for a three-year term.
When the airplane went down, Caldwell Brown was reported missing in action, but his casualty status
changed when his body was recovered. His remains were sent home to his wife, Mrs. Geraldine Martin Brown.
He was buried at the Vine Grove Christian Church Churchyard Cemetery in the Live Oak Community next to his
brother Hubert Brown. He was survived by his wife; son Howard Earl; father Caldwell Brown Sr.; stepmother
Carrie Woodard Brown; sisters Pinky May and Erma Lee; and brothers Irving, Cash, and Hayward.”
Source – www.rootsweb.ancestry.com
---
Husband of Bay City Girl Missing in Korean Crash
"Caldwell Brown, Jr., 3115 Ave. A, a graduate a couple of years ago of Herman High School at Van Vleck,
was reported missing as the result of the crash of the U.S. Globemaster aircraft near Kimpo Air Field on
the Han River in South Korea. More than 120 passengers on the Army transport were injured.
First reports indicated 12 men were missing. Several of the 12 have been confirmed to have been
killed in the crash.
Brown's wife, Mrs. Geraldine Martin Brown, was notified Sunday of her husband's missing status.
The wire from Major General Herbert M. Jones, adjutant general of the Army stated a confirming letter
would follow. The wire indicated Brown was missing since February 22, the date of the tragic crash
onto the ice of the Han River.
Brown is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell Brown of Cedar Lake. The graduate of Herman High had
served an induction term of two years in the U.S. Army and had recently re-enlisted for a three-year
term."
Source - The Daily Tribune, February 23, 1957
---
Bay City Youth's Body is Found: Had Been in Han River Air Wreck
"The body of Caldwell Brown, Jr., specialist second class of the U.S. Eighth Army who was included on
the list of those missing in the February 22 C-124 Globemaster crash in the Han River, Korea has been
recovered and positively identified, press reports from Seoul, Korea indicated.
Brown, a graduate of Herman High School at Van Vleck had been reported missing. More than 120
passengers on the plane were killed or injured. There were a total of 149 Americans aboard the giant
plane.
Brown's wife, Mrs. Geraldine Martin Brown, was notified Sunday, February 24, of her husband's missing
status. The wire was from Major General Herbert M. Jones, adjutant general of the Army. The
wire indicated Brown was missing since February 22, the date of the tragic crash onto the ice of the Han
River.
Wire service reports indicated the end of the missing status, and declared Brown definitely dead and
his body recovered.
Brown was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell Brown of Cedar Lake. The graduate of Herman High had
served an induction term of two years in the U.S. Army and had recently re-enlisted for a three-year
term."
Source - The Daily Tribune, March 6, 1957
---
With Red Cross Help - Body of Dead Soldier Returned for Burial
"The local Red Cross chapter, one of the participating agencies of the United Fund, this morning
completed arrangements for a very complicated problem of getting the body of a dead Bay City GI home for
burial, and simultaneously getting his brother home to Bay City from Europe in time for the services.
Caldwell Brown, Jr., of Bay City was killed in an airplane accident February 22 in the Han River in
Korea. He was first listed as missing, then later as definitely killed in the crash, after his body
was recovered. At the time his brother, Irving Brown, was in the U.S. Army in Europe.
Arrangements were made by Red Cross people in Bay City for bringing the body of Brown back to this city
for burial. At the same time arrangements were initiated for bringing his brother back home for the
rites. The body arrived back in Bay City March 20, with burial services planned at Live Oak Church
on March 24.
Irving was shipbound to Brooklyn Base when notification caught up with him. When he landed in
Brooklyn March 20 the Red Cross authorities there met him at the boat with a ticket for Bay City and money
for other expenses. He arrived in Bay City at 6 a.m. Friday, so he will be able to attend the
services to be held on Sunday. The escort for the body will remain in Bay City until after the
funeral.
Tom Hale, Red Cross official of Bay City, Friday morning said he was pleased with the results of the
Red Cross activity. "It surely was a tough case, what with two different areas having to be
correlated," he said.
Brown's wife, Mrs. Geraldine Martin Brown, was notified February 24 that her husband was missing in the
tragic air crash that took many lives among the 149 service personnel aboard the plane.
Brown, son of Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell Brown of Cedar Lake was a graduate of Herman High in Van Vleck.
He had served an induction term of two years, then had re-enlisted in the U.S. Army recently for a
three-year term."
Source - The Daily Tribune, March 22, 1957
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Reader Comments
Charles Bessett (found on the Korean War Project at www.kwp.org):
“I was stationed at Tachikawa from 1954 to 1957 and was assigned to the 6th Troop Carrier (Bully Beef).
I was an airborne radio operator. Later I was assigned to MATS at Donaldson AFB, South Carolina and flew
on operation Deep Freeze with Major Cartwright who was also stationed at Tachikawa. He was the pilot
(Aircraft Commander) who took off from K-14 with about 150 troops on board. When on takeoff a prop went
through the aircraft, cutting the control cables and yet he managed to set the plane down in the middle of
the Yalu River, in the middle of the night during winter. I think there were about 20 deceased.”
Pfc. Kenneth Carville, Wendell Depot, MA (sent to the Korean War Educator):
“It’s 1500 hours February 22, 1957 and PFC Ralph Morrison and I are getting our duffle bags ready for
R&R in Japan. At around 1530 the Company Commander’s orderly came into our Quonset hut and informed me
that I had been scratched from this shuttle and would be taking the next shuttle to K-14, Kimpo Air Base,
South Korea for a Globemaster flight to Japan because of an emergency leave granted to a sergeant. The
airplane I was supposed to fly on crashed shortly after takeoff. Two of my friends didn’t make it and PFC
Morrison was hospitalized.
Over the years I’ve wondered why I was picked to miss that flight out of 148 others. I was just a kid
then and didn’t know how to go about trying to find out who the sergeant who took my place was. Now, after
52 years and all the experiences and things I’ve done, it’s on my mind all the time. Maybe you will be
able to help find this man or if he even survived. There was a fire in the bureau of records in St. Louis,
Missouri in 1973 but the information on the flight manifest is out there somewhere. Maybe you could steer
me in the right direction. Ralph and I were radio operators at HQ CO. 3rd BN, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th
Division north of Freedom Bridge on the Imjin River in 1956-57.”
Steve Kovach (found on the Korean War Project at www.kwp.org):
“I was in the 22nd TCS at Tachikawa 1956-57. The tail number was 1040 and it was a 22nd TCS aircraft.
James Cartwright was the pilot. He was 37 years old at the time. The copilot was the 22nd’s assistant
maintenance officer. He was relieved from the right seat by the 22nd’s operations officer when the prop
came through the side. The ops major died in the crash while the assistant maintenance officer survived in
the reserve crew seat that the ops major had vacated. The flight engineer was killed. I saw the engine
after it was returned to Tachi. The prop shaft looked as though it was cut by a diamond saw. Not a burr on
it. The 22nd’s Japanese mechanics had spent a lot of time clearing a “smoker” on that engine the night
before that flight.
The plane ditched into the river because the river was illuminated by the moonlight and was the safest
reachable place. The plane split open forward of the tail section and was the escape route for most of the
passengers. In a newspaper interview, Captain Cartwright said he was thrown onto an ice floe in his seat,
unbuckled his safety belt and pulled survivors onto the ice floe. Not quite. His seat was still in the
plane. Strange things happen. I think the flight engineer was M/Sgt White.”
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