Klingaman, Warren J. (P3, C1, L24)

Captain Warren Jesse Klingaman, 29, of Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, perished on 6 February 1992 in Evansville, Indiana when a Kentucky Air National Guard Lockheed C-130B “Hercules” crashed during a training flight. Klingaman joined the Kentucky Air National Guard in November 1990 after serving three years on active duty with the U.S. Air Force.

He was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. The citation reads: “Captain Warren J. Klingaman distinguished himself in the performance of outstanding service to the United States as C Flight member, 165th Airlift Squadron, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Kentucky, from 19 August 1990 to 6 February 1992. During this period, the outstanding professional skill, leadership, and ceaseless efforts of Captain Klingaman resulted in major contributions to the effectiveness and success of the 165th Airlift Squadron. Captain Klingaman was the finest co-pilot in the Kentucky Air National Guard. An outstanding crew member, he volunteered for and participated in several Desert Shield / Storm support missions. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Captain Klingaman in the dedication of his service to his country, reflect great credit upon himself, the Air National Guard, and the United States Air Force.”

Klingaman is buried in the Green Cox Cemetery, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri.

At 9:53 a.m., 6 February 1992, a Kentucky Air National Guard C-130B military transport plane crashed at the site of a hotel and restaurant complex, located at U.S. Highway 41 and Lynch Road, less than one mile south of the Evansville Regional Airport while performing routine pilot proficiency exercises. The crew consisted of an experienced instructor pilot, two co-pilots, a flight engineer, and a loadmaster. The crash and resulting fire killed all five crew members and 11 civilians on the ground – nine in the hotel and two in the adjacent restaurant. In addition to those who died at the scene, one of the emergency responders, an Evansville Police Officer, died 24 February, as a result of injuries he sustained working at the crash site.

The other members of the Kentucky Air National Guard crew killed in the crash were: Master Sergeant William G. Hawkins, Master Sergeant John M. Medley, Major Richard A. Strang and Second Lieutenant Vincent D. Yancar. The civilian casualties in the incident were: Darrel D. Arnold; Charles R. Berqwitz; Robert A. Hayes; David W. Horton; Ronnie E. Keown; Matthew J. Prasek; Thomas R. Ruby; John R. Stallings; Harry M. Tenbarge; Matthew Phipps; Lynette Scott and James Gibson, Jr.