Plane crash survivor returns to scene, Lind

Nearly 55-years ago, Alma W. Skousen had an experience that remains vivid in his mind to this very day. Now a healthy 86-year-old, Skousen can still accurately recall the plane crash that left him and another Air Force Lieutenant stranded in a dusty field just outside of Lind, a field that he revisited for the first time on June 4.

On June 26, 1957, First Lieutenants Skousen and Wayne A. Sweetnum were flying a T-33 aircraft from Larson Air Force Base to Travis Air Force Base in California. The T-33 had served as a target airplane for training the day before.

When the group was training over the Pacific, they encountered thunderstorms and returned to the base. Skousen said it was at the base when he realized the plane was missing two turbine blades.

Just as Skousen went to take a C-47 plane on the return trip, a Sergeant insisted the parts had been found and a mechanic was working on replacing the missing blades. Skousen says he remembers watching the mechanic reassemble the turbine blades and the mechanic was making a lot of noise as he attached the blades, which seemed unnecessary to Skousen.

It was just before sundown when the two men boarded the aircraft and took off to make the journey home. Upon reaching 24,000 feet, the men experienced the first part of the trouble that would eventually bring the plane to the ground.

“The turbine wheel broke off at 10 o’clock and cut the rudder cable,” Skousen recalls. “The whole plane vibrated terrifically.”

The temperature began climbing rapidly and once it reached 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the men had the option to burn or turn off the engine. Skousen turned off the engine in hopes of being able to restart but the temperature remained too high for the engine to run.

At 5,000 feet, the men agreed to eject from the plane but when Skousen pulled the handle to remove the canopy, the lever failed. Sweetnum refused to attempt to eject from the plane for fear of injury from going through the canopy.

The men searched the ground, looking for an open area to safely land the aircraft.

“We had to find a place to land and to get out. We saw the Phillips farm, Bill Phillips, and it looked like a nice pasture,” Skousen said with a smile.

Just before the plane was about to strike the ground, the men jettisoned the fuel tanks in order to prevent an explosion or a fire when the plane hit. With the plane coming down fast, Skousen recalls it was hard to see the topography of the area and the left wing hit first.

With the impact from the crash, the canopy was ripped off the plane, as was Skousen’s helmet.

“It was that moment when I decided, ‘helmets are nice,’” smiled Skousen, aware of how lucky he had been to be protected by the helmet.

The plane eventually came to a complete stop 513 feet later, but the men were not without injuries.

“I couldn’t see,” recalls Skousen. “I was completely blind.”

In a momentary panic, Skousen thought he would never be able to see again, until he heard Sweetnum say that he was also blind. The chances of both men being struck blind seemed odd to Skousen, and sure enough, minutes later the dust began to clear and the men regained their sight.

Sweetnum had chipped part of his tailbone but other than that injury, remained unharmed. Skousen on the other hand had suffered compression fractures to three vertebra.

“I laid down in a plowed wheat field and he (Sweetnum) noticed I was going into shock,” Skousen remembers. “He wrapped me in a parachute.”

After securing Skousen, Sweetnum ran to the neighboring farmhouse to ask for help. Skousen remembers there being nothing but a freshly plowed wheat field, and then everything changed.

“It seemed like the whole town of Lind was out there shining lights,” laughed Skousen.

The Lind Fire Department and ambulance responded to the scene and Skousen was transported back to the Air Force base.

“The ambulance just had a wood floor. I was back there bouncing around,” said Skousen as he mimicked how he was jostled side to side in the ambulance.

Even though the experience had been painful, Skousen retells his story with humor and his eyes light up as he talks about the life-changing experience.

Overall, Skousen served in the Air Force for just over 26 years. He flew in the Korean and Vietnam wars, completing 133 missions in Vietnam, and retired as Lieutenant Colonel in 1974.

In all of those years and throughout both wars, the only time that Skousen was involved in an accident where his plane hit the ground was in Lind.

“I went through war time without anything hitting my bird,” Skousen said proudly.

Skousen’s daughter, Suzanne, recently moved to Ephrata and when Skousen planned a trip to visit her, he decided it was time to visit the crash site. Skousen currently lives in Mesa, Ariz. with his wife Phyllis.

Skousen’s first wife passed away in 2008 and he met Phyllis through an online dating service. The couple married on April 3, 2010.

“She’s been wonderful,” Skousen said flirtatiously as Phyllis laughed at him, and Suzanne smiled. “I’m very lucky to have two ladies that love me.”

Skousen enjoys an active lifestyle when he can, as the injury he sustained during the crash is starting to catch up with him. He likes to golf and play tennis whenever he has the opportunity.

The plane crash serves as a reminder of Skousen’s younger days, as he was only 25 when the accident occurred. Even now at the age of 86, it is evident Skousen continued to thrive after the accident because of his energy, humor and persistence.