The United States military maintains dedicated aircraft for each of its corps. The Marine Corps have their own air component. The aircraft carrying 16 servicemen crashed on Monday afternoon in western Mississippi. All 16 servicemen on board are reportedly killed. The KC-130 is a variant of the C-130 Hercules and has multiple roles that include carrying of cargo as well as refueling of fighter aircraft in mid-air.
The aircraft reportedly crashed around 4 pm in broad daylight in Leflore County. The cause of the crash is not yet pinpointed. All that is known is that the aircraft just disappeared from the radar screen of the Air Traffic Control.
The plane probably lost height and crashed along national highway US 82 and its debris was strewn on both sides of the road. President Donald Trump, who is also the commander in chief, tweeted his condolences. He wrote: "Melania and I send our deepest condolences to all." CNN International has reported this news.
The crash
The plane manufactured by Lockheed Martin has many versions and was operational since 1956. It has an excellent safety record. The aircraft (KC-130) has been in service with the US Air Force and other branches of the military for many decades.The crash of the plane is thus a mystery. As per reports, the flight path of the plane was that it took off from The Marine Air Station at Cherry Point in Eastern North Carolina.
It had a stop at Memphis and took off to crash in Mississippi. As the plane crashed, flames and dark smoke emanated upward and hope of any survivors is almost zero.
Aviation is inherently safe but in the case of a crash it is unforgiving and, in most cases, the fatalities are 100%. In this case, the servicemen had no chance of escaping once the plane crashed.
Probably it caught fire as it plummeted to earth.
Marine Corps KC-130
The KC-130 is the Marine version of the C-130 Hercules. It is one of the most sturdy planes in the world and is flown by the US Air Force around the globe. The plane operates in all sorts of environments around the globe. It has a great safety record.
The crash will be investigated.
The loss of 16 servicemen in a peacetime operation is not sustainable. The names of the servicemen who died have not yet been made public. The Marines have also not commented on the mission and role of the crashed plane.The last crash of the C-130 took place in 2015 at the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan and 14 soldiers were killed. The crash was investigated and remedial measures were taken.
