Smokejumpers.com :. Koyukuk

Koyukuk

It was after 10:15 P.M. during the long daylight hours of northern Alaska in the summer of 1981. A Bureau of Land Management twin-engine, twin-boomed, Fairchild C-119 airtanker, No. 138--a former U.S. Air Force paratrooper aircraft--was dropping rubber bladders filled with fuel to helicopter locations close to fires that were burning in that part of the state. The plane was thirty miles south of Bettles Field and near the Koyukuk River, close to the village of Allakaket, and 200 miles northwest of Fairbanks. One bladder with 4,500 gallons of fuel for helicopters had been dropped from an altitude of 400' and the C-119 was now on the way to another helicopter pad near a second fire and flying at the same altitude.

The bladders, along with their 64-foot diameter chutes, were seated in "rolligans" on tracks with rollers, on the floor of the ship. When it was time to drop them, wooden chocks were removed from behind the "rolligans" and the units were pushed out along the rollers. The rear of the plane was open.

The crew on-board the C-119 were: Pilot Ed Dugan, a former U.S. Air Force pilot who had flown North American F-100 fighters in Vietnam, and had more than 1,500 jumps to his credit as a sky diver and copilot Jim Slocum, also a sky diver, with more than 150 jumps. They were employed by Hawkins and Powers out of Greybull, Wyoming, located 60 miles southwest of Sheridan. There were four smokejumpers flying along as "cargo kickers." They were: Chris Farinetti, FBX '79; Jack Firestone, MYC '75; Jim Olson, FBX '78; and Tony Pastro, FBX '77. FBX stands for Fairbanks and MYC for McCall, Idaho.

As the plane continued on course to the second fire, number two engine (the one on the right side) began smoking and then exploded, with fire spreading along the right boom to the tail section. Dugan contacted Bettles Field and declared an emergency. The plane began shaking and vibrating badly. The right propeller refused to feather (the forward edges of the blades would have faced the airflow, knife-like) and was creating a considerable amount of drag. Dugan had both feet on the left rudder pedal, but the plane still wanted to yaw to the right. With the situation getting worse, Dugan told Slocum and the smokejumpers to leave the C-119.

The jumpers had the new quick-opening emergency chutes that had been issued in 1981 for the first time. From 400' it would have been impossible to use their mains. Slocum also had a quick-opening emergency chute, of the type sky divers use. The smokejumpers and Slocum bailed out and the 4,500 gallon fuel cell was ejected. They were not injured, but Pastro experienced a bad exit and a shroud line came slashing along one leg. Slocum, who was the last one out, parachuted from an altitude of 330'. By this time there wasn't a chance of Dugan leaving the crippled ship.

The C-119 kept dropping lower as he fought the controls. He was exhausted, but had to keep the plane level. It was impossible to reach Bettles Field now. Suddenly, he came over a rise and there in front of him was the South Fork of the Koyukuk River. He picked out a sandbar where the plane would be facing into the wind, and started letting down. He did not have any flaps or wheels. The right engine powered the electrical system. Dugan was worried about the landing, because C-119's were known for nose sections crumbling during belly landings and being squashed beneath the rest of the fuselage.

Dugan came in, slightly nose high, gradually dropping, and then the plane was skidding along the sandbar. The nose began to buckle, with the floor of the cockpit peeling away below his feet. The C-119 came to a screeching halt near the river and Dugan quickly exited through the cockpit top hatch, taking his camera and radio with him. The fire gradually died out. If the fuel cell had not been dropped, Dugan probably would not have reached the river. Instead, there would have been a massive explosion as the plane plunged into the low-lying hills.

A helicopter in the area had already picked up the smokejumpers and Slocum, and then landed near the downed C-119 to retreive Dugan. They were all flown back to Fairbanks and within three days Dugan and Slocum had a new Hawkins and Powers Fairchild C-119 waiting for them.

Today, it is believed that Dugan is flying for Horizon Air and Slocum for Federal Express. We would like to contact them if possible. If anyone knows their locations, please let us know. Slocum's wife is also a pilot and, it is believed, was once a captain of the U.S. Sky Diving Team. Chris Farinetti is now an Assistant Fire Management Officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service out of Lakeview, Oregon, in the south-central part of the state near the California border. Jack Firestone is an Air Attack Officer for the B.L.M. out of Fairbanks. Jim Olson is currently an active jumper at the Boise base and Tony Pastro is still with the Alaska smokejumpers. The story about Airtanker 138, and the men who were on it that fateful day, will live on forever in the annals of Alaska aviation and smokejumper history.