“I have become so jaded about our government since all this happened. I have become very skeptical. They tell you what they want you to know whether there’s a grain of truth or not. A lot of times, they don’t tell you anything.”

Velma Waymire
(Sister of Berl King)

July 13, 2025 — On July 13, 1978, at approximately 9:30 PM, a de Havilland Canada DHC‑6 Twin Otter (tail number N‑76214) crashed near Candor, a remote area of North Carolina. The aircraft, officially registered to Coastal Air Services, was reportedly conducting a CIA mission of undisclosed nature. Nearly five decades later, the circumstances surrounding the flight remain classified. Follow us on Twitter: @Intel_Today

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According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A), Twin Otter N‑76214 crashed at 21:45 EDT on July 13, 1978, near Candor, North Carolina.

The aircraft, operated under the cover name “Coast Air – USA,” was reportedly on a night training flight from Fort Bragg.

“All five occupants — two pilots and three passengers — were killed when the plane struck trees during a low‑altitude approach.”

The B3A summary attributes the crash to pilot misjudgment, but provides no information regarding the mission’s true purpose or the identities of those on board.

Who Was Onboard?

While the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives lists five fatalities, other published accounts — including those by journalist Ted Gup — report that four individuals died in the crash, with one survivor.

According to Gup’s research, the following men were killed:

Ivan Berl King (b. June 17, 1928), pilot and CIA officer

Denny Gabriel, co-pilot and CIA officer

Walter S. McCleskey, U.S. military

Luis Lebartarde, U.S. military

Both King and Gabriel had previously served with Air America, a CIA proprietary airline deeply involved in covert operations throughout Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

The specific nature of their assignment at the time of the crash remains classified.

The fifth occupant, CIA officer Alexander “Alex” MacPherson, was not expected to live, but remarkably survived, passing away decades later on July 29, 2015, at the age of 85.

MacPherson never spoke publicly about the crash, and no statements have ever been released by the CIA or Department of Defense concerning the mission or the incident.

Cause of the Crash

According to journalist Ted Gup, the plane struck the top of an oak tree during its low-altitude approach. The crash occurred around 9:30 PM — a bit after sunset — meaning ‘darkness’ would have severely limited the pilots’ ability to see obstacles.

In the remote, unlit area near Candor, North Carolina, without any runway or approach lights, spotting a tall oak tree against the night sky would have been difficult.

This likely contributed to the pilot’s misjudgment and the tragic collision.

Five Decades of Total Secrecy

The aircraft’s flight plan, cargo, and mission objectives remain classified. The crash has never been acknowledged in official CIA or U.S. military histories, and no comprehensive accident report has been released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Recovery operations were reportedly swift: government personnel are said to have secured the wreckage within 48 hours of the incident.

Nearly fifty years have passed since a CIA-operated Twin Otter fell from the sky in rural North Carolina, killing at least two Agency personnel.

The official account cites pilot error during a routine training flight. Yet the identities of the dead, their classified affiliations, and the mission’s true objective remain buried to this day.

Key documents are still withheld, and two stars from that year remain unnamed in the CIA’s Book of Honor. If it was just an accident… why is the CIA still hiding the truth?

The Memorial Wall

It is likely that both Denny Gabriel and Ivan Berl King were honored with stars on the CIA Memorial Wall shortly after the crash.

However, for decades, their identities remained undisclosed. The 2009 edition of the CIA’s Book of Honor lists three unnamed stars for 1978, offering no confirmation of who they represent.

Recent Development

In recent years, it appears that one of those stars has been officially attributed to Gabriel, though the Agency has not publicly acknowledged the details.

The identity of the third 1978 star is unknown, and it is unclear whether it is connected to this incident.

REFERENCES

CRASH OF A DE HAVILLAND DHC-6 TWIN OTTER 300 IN CANDOR — Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

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CIA Memorial Wall — Three Stars, No Answers: Revisiting the 1978 CIA Plane Crash in Candor, North Carolina