It was a day that many people in Central Illinois will never forget. The U.S. Presidential aircraft, Air Force One, had one of its wheels stuck in the mud at Willard Airport in Savoy. President Bill Clinton was on his way to speak at the University of Illinois at the time.
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The incident happened as the Boeing VC-137C SAM 27000 was taxiing and the right undercarriage just “nicked the corner” of the tarmac. The pilot revved the engines up fully trying to free the wheel, but it was not successful. As a result, SAM 26000, another Boeing VC-137C, was sent to pick up the President and others on board. The airport was closed until the President could leave, and gear and luggage were taken off the plane.
25 years later, former first responders and airport staff members gathered at Monical’s Pizza in Tolono to share their stories of that day. John Smith, who was the airport Fire Marshal at the time, said he learned more at the gathering than he otherwise would have known. He said that on the day of the incident, he was assisting the Secret Service while others were called in to help with security and to pull the plane out of the mud. It was a great opportunity for them to reminisce and fill in the little details that they may have forgotten over the years.
The flight by SAM 26000 was also the last time the jet carried a serving president. The plane was parked at Grissom Air Reserve Base in Peru, Indiana to serve as a backup and was quickly dispatched to Willar Airport from there. Clinton continued on his journey to La Crosse, Wisconsin, for an event and then to Washington, D.C. This was the final presidential service flight of SAM 26000 and it was officially retired from the president’s fleet after that.
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