History of the C-9A Nightingale
Air Mobility Command News
Release Date: 8/19/2003
April 1963: OSD requested a modernization study of the aeromedical evacuation fleet with an eye toward modernization
June 17, 1968: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corp rolled out the first C-9A, 67-22583
Oct. 2, 1968: First operational mission was completed
Sept. 16, 1971: 67-22586 crashed near Scott AFB while on a training mission. Lt Col Lloyd Clore, Maj Aubrey Akin, and Capt James Rhame were killed. This is the only fatal C-9 crash in the aircraft's history
April 1973: C-9A actively participated in Operation HOMECOMING. The C-9A moved 367 returning Viet Nam prisoners of war to medical facilities near their homes
February 1978: Two urgent C-9A missions were used to airlift 14 burn casualties from a train derailment in Waverly Texas
April 1978: The C-9A moved 11 victims of a botulism epidemic in Clovis New Mexico to hospitals in Albuquerque. The C-9s quick response is credited with helping avert a civil disaster of major proportions. It was the second largest outbreak since 1899
March 27, 1979: #71-10875 flew the first C-9A mission into the Peoples Republic of China June 26, 1979: Capt Christina Schott qualified as the first C-9A female Aircraft Commander
July 12 & 20, 1980: C-9As picked up the 53 Iranian hostages from Algiers, Algeria and transported them to Rhein-Main Germany
Oct. 23 - Dec. 9, 1983: Nightingales airlifted 78 Marines injured in the bombing of their barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
Oct. 25 - Nov. 19, 1983: C-9As flew 32 patients injured during Operation URGENT FURY, the United State's invasion of Grenada following its leftist takeover
Nov. 7, 1986: C-9As airlifted 27 children after an earthquake in San Salvador. PROJECT HOPE
May 1987: Nightingales transported injured sailors from the Persian Gulf back to medical facilities in the US following the Iraqi missile attack of the USS Stark
May 23, 1994: After an F-16D collided with a C-130 transport at Pope Air Force Base, the C-9 transported 20 severely burned soldiers to the burn center at Ft Sam Houston, Texas
April 1998: The first and only baby delivered aboard a C-9A in flight occurred on a mission from Olbia, Sardinia to Naples, Italy
April 29 - July 29, 1999: C-9s moved soldiers injured during the war in Kosovo, Operation ALLIED FORCE
May 2, 1999: A C-9A transported three American soldiers captured while on patrol in Macedonia during Operation ALLIED FORCE
Sept. 12, 2001: C-9As deployed to Andrews AFB MD to provide the nation's capital aeromedical evacuation capability following the terrorist attacks of Sept 11th. This was direct support of Operation NOBLE EAGLE
Oct. 2, 2002: C-9A emergency evacuated 42 elderly from Lake Charles LA just prior to the arrival of Hurricane Lili
October 2002 - February 2003: C-9As moved injured soldiers and sailors in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM
February - June 2003: In direct support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, C-9As transported nearly 4,900 C-5 and C-17 aircrews back and forth from their home bases to east coast stages
May - Aug. 11, 2003: C-9As returned 4,100 injured soldiers and their attendants home from combat operations in Iraq
Aug. 11, 2003: Last C-9A aeromedical evacuation mission in CONUS
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