WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- Today marks the 60th anniversary of the 1965 crash of the KC-135 Stratotanker in the Piatt neighborhood in north Wichita. Just before 9:30 a.m., a Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker took off from McConnell Air Force Base. The tanker and its crew were based out of Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base in western Oklahoma. Wichita getting an officially licensed Monopoly game Shortly after takeoff from McConnell, the plane failed to gain altitude and began experiencing considerable yaw, according to the official accident report. The crew started jettisoning the excess fuel and attempted to return to McConnell. After dumping most of its fuel, the plane made a hard bank to the left and entered a roll the crew could not recover from. The aircraft came down at 20th and Piatt. The explosion and fire killed 23 people on the ground, injured 27 more, and destroyed dozens of homes. All seven crew members were killed. Photos showing some of the aftermath of the Jan. 16, 1965 crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker shortly after it took off from McConnell Air Force Base (Courtesy USAF 22nd Air Refueling Wing History Office) The formal accident report indicated several factors that may have contributed to the crash, including a crew member jettisoning a door and a drag chute from an F-105 Thunderchief accidentally being left on the runway being blown into the KC-135 just before takeoff by a B-52 Stratofortress bomber. In 1971, a memorial and park were installed at the crash scene. In 2007, a 22-foot Imperial Black Granite monument was installed at the site. The memorial is inscribed with the names of all the lives lost that day.