At Least Five Dead after Military Plane Crashes in Mississippi

New York Daily News ^ | 07/10/2017 | Christopher Brennan

[DoughtyOne]

In this day and age, I suppose that’s a reasoned question isn’t it.

[deadrock]

Especially because it is being reported at the Daily Mail that it exploded at 20,000 ft.

[zipper]

There was one report of structural failure at 20,000 feet.

Sounds like it could have been a mid-air collision during refueling operations, with another aircraft.

20,000 feet is about right for KC-130 refueling operations, though I haven't heard any other reports of damaged aircraft landing nearby.

===

Alan Hammons, an official at Greenwood Airport, told WNCN that the aircraft suffered a “structural failure” at 20,000 feet.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/07/11/marine-aircraft-crash-at-least-12-bodies-recovered-from-mississippi-crash-site.html

[DoughtyOne]

Terrible...

[DoughtyOne]

The impact area seemed awfully small for an aircraft exploding at 20,000 feet.

Perhaps it wasn’t a full blown disintegration at altitude.

It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

If there was Jihadi involvement, it’s going to be a game changer.

[deadrock]

After the Fort Hood cover up, I wouldn’t be so sure.

[gleeaikin]

Clicking the link, the headline now says 16 dead, those poor families.

[LeeClementineKenny]

It says at least 16 are dead. I'm assuming everyone on that plane is dead, so were there more than 16 that they are still searching for, or have they just not released how many were on board yet?

[Paul R.]

The NY Times report says a wing came down a mile away from the main impact site:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/10/us/military-plane-crashes-mississippi-delta-deaths.html

[IYAS9YAS]

The story said debris spread five miles. Sounds as if something came apart

Possibly a propeller let go mid-flight. It has happened.

I flew on the EC-130H Compass Call aircraft back in the early '90s. We had two rows of equipment lining the sides of the aircraft. I almost always sat in the fore-most starboard position on that equipment, and to my left, somewhere about a foot or so, there was a safety tape (black/yellow) line up the inside of the fuselage that showed where the inner starboard engine's propeller would be. Basically I was told that's where to expect the impact should a propeller from that engine let loose and come into the craft.

[b4its2late]

Makes you wonder what was on that plane...

[angcat]

God awful dear God please save our Military. Why them? RIP great Americans.

[xzins]

RIP Warriors

[mad_as_he$$]

Is 8 or 9 a regular crew size on one of these birds?

[acoulterfan]

The death toll is now up to at least 16! They are still looking for bodies.

[xone]

I am not sure a KC-130 could do that but can’t think of why not.

It can, the 'K" just means it is refueling capable.

[pfflier]

A regular USAF C-130 crew is 3-4 depending on whether they are taking a navigator along. The typical crew is Pilot, Copilot, and Loadmaster. The C-130J is the latest model and design to operate with a crew of 3.

The Marines fly the KC-130 with a crew of 6 typically adding safety spotters/refuelling equipment operators.

[mad_as_he$$]

Damn...

[Stormy_MS1]

Mississippi news outlets are reporting there was a lot of ammo on the plane.

[pfflier]

Structural failure of a C-130 is very rare and equally odd. It just doesn't happen with that bird, it is made tough. I have not heard of any structural related crashes in 20+ years of military C-130 experience. There is the famous video of the firefighting C-130 shedding it's wings but that one was retired from the military before it was used by the contractor. I don't have any idea how the contractor maintained the plane.

The allegation that the forward fuselage was located separated from the rest of the aircraft wouldn't suggest a collision as the refuelling aircraft trail below and behind about mid wing on either side. Also with passengers onboard (last count I read was 16 fatalities recovered) it would suggest that it was a logistical flight, not a dedicated refuelling mission.

I am purely speculating now at this point but there may have been an internal explosion possibly ordnance being carried. On the video I transmitted on an earlier post, there is an unusual yellow smoke trail flying opposite the direction of the main smoke plume. You can see it as the helicopter rotates around the rear of the wreckage.