12/10/2023
Spook50 might be my favorite KC-135 of all time. Not because of paint, location, or anything else. For years and years I have heard from so many that claim this aircraft is haunted. Hence the name, Spook.
From footsteps, to lights, to seeing an apparition, and even the spirit touching them, I have heard a lot of the same story between former crew. Others say they have never had an experience. For me, I don't believe in ghosts, but I don't want to have to start believing either.
No single story has been directly tied to this aircraft and many of the stories of the death have been tied to other aircraft as well. One said it was a MSgt sucked up into the sextant glass, another said one got sucked partially out of the boom sighting glass, with another saying an enlisted man had a heart attack and died on board. With this jet being built in 1958, there have been plenty of chances for this aircraft to have a person pass away while airborne.
Whatever it is, the lore of Spook50 is alive and well, with her now living at Kadena AB, Japan. Here, she arrived at Tinker AFB as "Ramen25", wearing some new orange eye liner, going in for her Block 45 upgrade before returning to the fleet in a short bit.
