Date:	Tuesday 16 April 1968
Time:	09:00
Type:	Fairchild C-123K Provider
Owner/operator:	United States Air Force - USAF
Registration:	54-602
MSN:	20051
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	46 km NW of Panama City, FL -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Hurlburt Field, FL (KHRT)
Destination airport:	Hurlburt Field, FL (KHRT)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
On 16 April 1968, 08:00 CST, C-123K, sn 54-0602 (Call sign MOOSE 09) departed Hurlburt Field, FL, as lead aircraft in a flight of three C-123's. The assigned mission was a routine SEA serial spray training flight. The formation proceeded to a point 25 nm northwest of Panama City, Florida (the designated spray training area), arriving there at 08:35 CST.
At this time a series of simulated defoliation runs were conducted over an open field. At approximately 08:50 CST Aircraft 54-0602 assumed the number three position in a right echelon formation for practice defoliation runs along a series of roads. At the completion of the first run the lead aircraft gave a command to place the aircraft in a "piggy back" formation, then climbed from 150 feet AGL to approximately 300 feet AGL and executed a 270 degree turn to the right. While in this turn the Number Three aircraft contacted the ground in a left wing low position, cartwheeled, immediately caught fire and was destroyed. The instructor pilot, two student pilots, and the flight engineer sustained fatal injuries.

USAF accident/incident report dated 8 May 1968
E-mail Kevin Woolterton 14-3-2008
St. Petersburg Times 17 April 1968, p2A

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