Air Force Study of Contaminated C-123K Report Located!

Patches Tail 362 at Wright-Pat

Trolling through the Internet hoping to learn where I "caught" cancer I was able to locate a 2003 study by the Air Force Institute for Operational Health (Brooks) about toxic contamination of the aircraft stored in Davis-Monthan AFB's boneyard. The entire C-123K/UC-123K (aka Ponderous Polly, Bug Bird, Pork Hauler, Thunder Pig, etc.) collection is grouped behind a barbed wire fence and the aircraft are sealed and removed from public sight, as well as labeled "extremely hazardous" (note: all were destroyed April 2010). This report lends tremendous weight to the argument that post-Vietnam Provider crews were exposed to Agent Orange and other toxins, and I strongly suggest bringing this study and the other materials we've located to the attention of your local Veterans Affairs representative!
The study can be downloaded at: http://airforcemedicine.afms.mil/idc/groups/public/documents/afms/ctb_021403.pdf.
In particular, I'd like to provide this paragraph dealing with "Patches" at the Air Force Museum, an aircraft many of us invested hundreds of hours flying, maintaining, training, sleeping, eating, etc:
 "a.  In 1994, AFIOH/RSRE (then AL/OEMH) evaluated a C-123 aircraft located in the museum annex at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH (AL/OE-CL-1994-0203, 19 Dec 94).  Museum personnel planned to restore the aircraft and staff raised concerns prior to restoration since the aircraft reportedly carried and sprayed Agent Orange to support defoliation efforts in Vietnam.  Four samples were collected (3 inside, 1 under the wing); all four samples tested positive for dioxin congeners.  At the time, museum staff secured the aircraft to prevent entry.  The tanks and sprayers, stored at a separate location, were not sampled.  AL/OEMH staff made recommendations to limit exposure to aircraft restoration personnel and allow the public to view the exterior of the plane.  The recommendations would not result in the complete decontamination of the aircraft."

Museum C-123K/UC-123K Display: Contaminated Aircraft?

I've learned that the National Museum of the Air Force has loaned out several C-123K/UC-123K aircraft for other museums and for different bases' static aircraft displays. But...most of these other organizations haven't taken the same precautions as have the folks at Wright-Patterson...and that means the public is at risk of physical contact with contaminated aircraft surfaces.

Here's the list of museum displays and preserved aircraft, with the two known contaminated spray aircraft in RED. AF records show that Tail#603 was put into the museum system but location is now uncertain. While only two of this list are known spray birds, AFMC in 2010 determined it was too difficult to recognize which aircraft had been used as UC-123K and converted back to C-123K without a records trail, and was surprised to learn that most of the 21 planes in the surplus fleet actually turned out to be spray birds (18 of 21). With that experience it is reasonable to conclude that at least some of these C-123K planes were spray aircraft at some time.

Fairchild C-123 Provider 

 Aircraft         Tail #              Last Seen          Location

C-123B-4-FA C-123K	54-0580	APR11		PIMA COUNTY MUSEUM (AZ)
C-123B-5-FA C-123K	54-0592@	APR10		Craven Regional Airport, New Bern (NC) N9692N
C-123B-5-FA C-123K	54-0593	APR11		LACKLAND AFB (TX)
C-123B-5-FA C-123K	54-0604	OCT99		Linear Air Park Dyess AFB (TX)
C-123B-5-FA C-123K	54-0609	APR11		FORT BRAGG (NC), 82nd AB DIV WAR MEMORIAL
C-123B-6-FA C-123K	54-0610	JUL10		Hill Aerospace  Museum (UT)
C-123B-6-FA C-123K	54-0612	JAN11		March Field Air Museum (CA)
C-123B-7-FA C-123K	54-0629	MAR11		MCGUIRE AFB
C-123B-7-FA C-123K UC-123K	54-0633	MAY11		Robins AFB (GA)
C-123B-8-FA C-123K UC-123K	54-0658	JAN01		Air Mobility Command Museum Dover AFB (DE)
C-123B-8-FA C-123K	54-0664	FEB99		Air Heritage Museum Beaver Falls (PA) N22968
C-123B-9-FA C-123K	54-0668	NOV06		LACKLAND AFB (TX) [actually Tail#593?]
C-123B-9-FA C-123K	54-0669	JUL02		POPE AFB (NC) AS '372'
C-123B-9-FA C-123K	54-0674	MAR97	P	Valiant Air Command Titusville (FL)- Ex Air America "HR-ALK"
C-123B-9-FA C-123K	54-0683	NOV10		Edwards AFB (CA)
C-123B-10-FA C-123K	54-0692		P	Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum (IL) Not listed on web site DEC02
C-123B-10-FA C-123K	54-0706	DEC96		Las Vegas (NV) On the strip as "N709RR"
C-123K	55-4505	MAY11	B	PIMA COUNTY MUSEUM (AZ) Coast Guard Colors
C-123K	55-4512	AUG09	B	Castle Air Museum (CA)
C-123B-13-FA C-123K	55-4533	SEP04	P	Hurlburt Field Airpark (FL)
C-123	55-4558			WASILLA (AK)
C-123B-15-FA C-123K	55-4567	JUN10	P	LITTLE ROCK AFB (AR)
C-123K	56-4362	MAY11	B	Wright Patterson AFB (OH) MUSEUM
C123	56-4395	JUN94		KULIS ANGB
C-123	?	MAR09	G	Wendover (UT)