Posted on 02/13/2007 7:00:24 AM PST by avg_freeper
An RAF Hercules transport plane has been destroyed in southern Iraq after it was damaged in an "incident" on landing, the Ministry of Defence said.
Two people suffered minor injuries in Monday's incident, after which the C130 plane was destroyed because of the potential risk involved in recovery.
A military spokesman in Basra said there was no evidence of hostile action during the landing in Maysan province.
The plane, based at RAF Lyneham, had been on a routine re-supply journey.
It landed 20km north of Al-Amarah at about 2010 local time (1710GMT).
The two people injured were taken to hospital, but the spokesman would not confirm if they were military personnel.
'Potential risk'
The Hercules could not safely be recovered and was destroyed by coalition forces three hours later, said the Basra-based spokesman.
An investigation was underway, he added.
The MoD said the plane was "significantly damaged" during landing, which led to the site being secured and a "thorough assessment" being carried out.
"It was concluded that the aircraft could not be recovered without exposing our personnel to undue risk," said a spokesman.
He went on: "There was also a potential risk that anti-Iraqi forces might obtain information on specialist equipment.
"The aircraft was therefore safely destroyed by multinational forces."
The MoD stressed the aircraft had been making "a routine landing on a tactical landing zone" and the plane had not been shot down.
Bummer ... fortunately, LockMart is still making them ...
Order up another one.
I'm sure the terrorists will come out with a horrible, grainy video of a guy with an Stinger launcher and a C-130 on a string claiming they shot this one down
Not a bummer. We love replacement orders.
Doesn't pass the smell test. If they had time and safety to investigate, which the article says they did, they had time and safety to remove the equipment, and then send in a repair team, with sufficient force to protect the repair team and the aircraft. Hoping that the aircraft is still there and in one piece when they get back to it. Always a problem with anything left lying about in an Arab country.
Be a good chance to lure some Jihadies into a stand up fight and kill a bunch of 'em.
Why the skepticism? It's just an airplane.
Here's an AP story out of the Herald Tribune:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/13/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Iraq.php
LONDON: A British Hercules aircraft was damaged while landing in southeastern Iraq and was destroyed by coalition forces because of the risk of mounting a recovery operation, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
Two people suffered minor injuries in the incident Monday night, the ministry said.
There was no immediate indication of hostile action, the ministry said, but it had not been ruled out.
The C-130 had just touched down at an airstrip in Maysan province when it was damaged by an explosion, said a ministry spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.
"We don't know what caused it," he said.
Another C-130 in the area quickly landed at the same strip and rescued the crew, the spokesman said.
"The site was secured and, after a thorough assessment of the damage, it was concluded that the aircraft could not be recovered without exposing our personnel to undue risk," the spokesman said.
"There was also a potential risk that anti-Iraqi forces might obtain information on specialist equipment. The aircraft was therefore safely destroyed by multinational forces."
No heavy lift chopper ability to remove the Herky bird?
The Herc is a very robust airframe. That musta been a quite the hard 'landing'.
That's what I was thinking. It must have been an autorotation type landing. What I understand the wings will stay on even after they've flexed down and hit the ground.
I was working Dak To (huey driver) in November of 67 when a C-130 hit one of those big Cats (D-50, I believe) that was pushing dirt for a runway extension. One of the main gear assemblies squarely hit the top of the dozer blade. It moved the Cat about 50 feet and sadly the operator died on the way to Pleiku. There were landing gear parts strewn hundreds of feet beyond. The "Ever Ready" Herc kept on tickin' and stayed in the air and made a run on landing at Cam Rahn Bay AFB.
Three C-130s burned on the Dak To ramp around that time when the fuel and ammo dump was hit. The crews had to unass the running aircraft as burning material ignited their aircraft. Not much left when after they let 'em burn.
A Herky weights several many more than the heaviest lifting chopper on earth can carry.
That is an old K model. The aircraft that was lost was a J.
Also that very aircraft, XV206, was lost in Afghanistan in a landing accident on 24 May 2006.
Holy moly! Tell us the story.
I have seen a video of a Navy C-130 (assigned to support the Blue Angels) taking off with rocket assist. I swear that it looked like the thing was taking off at a 45 degree angle.
Very cool. Thanks.
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