On 12 December 1985 , a chartered airliner carrying 248 members of Task Force 3/502 crashed and exploded after takeoff at Gander , Newfoundland , Canada . Mostly from HHC and A Companies , they were on the final leg returning from six months of peacekeeping duty in the Sinai Peninsula between Egypt and Israel . The official Canadian government report said it was ice buildup on the wings that caused the crash , but other investigators have pointed to signs of an explosion and suggested everything from terrorism to smuggled souvenir ordnance instead . Whatever the reason , it is the deadliest single day in division history by some counts , outdoing both 6 June 1944 and Vietnam 's " Hamburger Hill " battle . LTC Marvin Jeffcoat became the third of the five officers who 'd commanded 3/502 to that point to die in command . President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan attended an emotional memorial service on Fort Campbell . Memorials for the fallen were subsequently constructed at Gander Lake , Newfoundland , Canada ; near Fort Campbell in Hopkinsville , Kentucky ; and on post between Screaming Eagle and Normandy Boulevards
a chartered airliner
Arrow Air Flight 1285
502nd Infantry Regiment (United States)