Sunrise was at 6:58 a.m., and winds were projected to be light.

At the ground level, visibility was somewhat low, but higher flight elevation clear.

No precipitation was projected.

The U.S. Air Force KC-135A departing K.I. Sawyer AFB near Marquette was on a routine training flight. The aircraft made a stopover at Sault Ste. Marie’s Kincheloe Air Force Base and was en route to Wurtsmith AFB near Oscoda.

News File Image This image from the Sept. 27, 1976 edition of The Alpena News shows the wreckage of the U.S. Air Force plane that crashed near Hubbard Lake.

The flight’s final destination was Omaha’s Offutt AFB.

On board were five Air Force crew members and 15 passengers.

As it neared 8:30 a.m., the flight was south of Alpena, nearing a crossover of Hubbard Lake en route to Wurtsmith AFB.

According to various news accounts and Air Force reports, Hubbard Lake resident and farmer Elmer Liske exited his residence when hearing a low-flying aircraft. He saw the KC-135A flying low.

“Suddenly, it started to go down,” Liske said. “It blew up, and I saw a big ball of fire and, then, it exploded several more times.”

News File Image Volunteers scour through the wreckage of a crashed U.S. Air Force plane near Hubbard Lake in this image from the Sept. 27, 1976 edition of The Alpena News.

Nearby was Alpena resident Steve Westrope, who was hiking at the Chippewa Hills Recreation Area. He stated he experienced a kerosene-like odor in the air. Within a period of time, he saw a UH-Huey helicopter circling a nearby wooded area. He walked toward the helicopter’s direction when it landed.

As he approached the swampy and wooded area, he noted the nose portion of a large aircraft.

“I proceeded up a nearby ridge from which I could see the entire and could see the trail of debris,” Westrope said. “To my horror, I realized there were American flags draped around the scene which were covering body parts. I stood there in disbelief.”

In continuing his account, Westrope stated another military helicopter arrived and landed near the ridge. Crew members exited the aircraft and moved toward an Alpena News reporter who was at the scene with intent to help escort her. The reporter was Betty Werth, who in years to come would marry Westrope.

Near 8:30 a.m., Allen Ratz, a newly installed Hubbard Lake Fire and Rescue team member, received a telephone call there appeared to be a fire at the Hubbard Lake trash and refuse site.

News File Image Alpena News reporter Sue Williams, left, interviews witness Elmer Liske at the scene of a U.S. Air Force plane crash near Hubbard Lake in this image from the Sept. 27, 1976 edition of The Alpena News.

As a volunteer, Ratz, 25 years old at the time, was joined by fellow volunteer Daryl Kauffman. When Ratz and Kauffman arrived, they realized that the dump was not on fire.

Ratz, a Michigan Air National Guard member, noted the odor being that of aircraft fuel. With their fire vehicles parked, Ratz and Kauffman began to trek through the swampy and heavily wooded area toward a large smoke plume. Periodically, viewing from treetops, Kauffman ensured their direction.

They came across the aircraft’s severed fuel boom compartment. Nearby, they heard the voices of people shouting for help. They followed the voices and found five survivors huddled together away from the downed aircraft. Ratz stated four of the individuals experienced burns, while one appeared unaffected.

At that time, the rescue crew did not have mobile radios.

Ratz hurried to a nearby farm and placed a call to Alpena’s Phelps-Collins Airfield (now known as the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center).

News File Image Charred metal and tangled wires are seen where a U.S. Air Force plane crashed near Hubbard Lake in this Sept. 27, 1976 Alpena News photo.

He was able to reach Fort Wayne Air National Guard members who were practicing at the base, who happened to have brought a helicopter during their training mission. The helicopter and crew members were quickly en route to the crash site.

During the course of that Sunday, the Hubbard Lake Fire and Rescue crew, along with Michigan Department of Natural Resources members, cleared a path to the crash site, which created a massive, burrowed swath.

The Fort Wayne Guard crew made multiple flights with the survivors who were transported to the Alpena hospital. Later that day, ground and helicopter teams arrived from Wurtsmith AFB, joined by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.

The rescue further continued with bodies and remains being transported back to Phelps-Collins and eventually to Wurtsmith AFB for identification.

Fifteen had perished and five survived.

In 2005, Ratz retired from his active duty at Phelps-Collins. At his ceremony was John Harrison, one of the KC-135A crash survivors. He traveled from Connecticut after learning from Ratz’s wife, Connie, of the ceremony.

Together, Ratz and Harrison planned a 30-year reunion in 2006. At that reunion, Ratz’s brother, Mike, designed and made a memorial plaque which would be placed at the crash site. The plaque showed information on the KC-135A flight and aircraft, the survivors, and those who lost their lives.

In 2016, a larger 40th union was conducted at which survivors, family members of the deceased, and dignitaries gathered.

Indeed, a shared bond for a horrific tragedy.

With a cabin pressure issue, the aircraft crew were directed by Minneapolis flight control (which oversaw this geographic region) to descend from 18,000 feet to 13,000 feet.

According to various resources and accounts, the KC-135A aircraft experienced fuselage pressure issues, which may have distracted the flight crew.

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO and frequently writes historical feature stories and op-eds. He is a former Alpena resident and resides in suburban Detroit.