C-130 down in Savannah-May 2018

originally posted by: incoserv

originally posted by: RadioRobert
Higher operational tempo means higher accident tempo.

I can't see where higher operational tempo compensates for the number of incidents of late. If the "operational tempo" for airline flights had this kind of ration of "accident tempo," nobody would dare travel by air.

Something is amiss somewhere.

Commercial carriers are flying aircraft half the age very gently in comparison.

It's like asking why your car is on the shop more often than your neighbors when hers is newer and she only drives fo church and the grocery store, while you take your older car off-roading and drag racing.

Stuff breaks. They more a car gets driven and the harder, the more often stuff breaks. If you went from driving that car off-road only on weekends to everyday, you're going to have more incident. Your hours per incident may or may not change, but with more hours is more incidents. You drive 80 hrs a week, and you increase the chances of operator error over the guy who only drives 40, too. And if you need to drive it everyday so you can't take the time out to get the oil changed or rebuild the engine occasionally, and you still have to drive it, you'll have even more problems.

First closeup shot of the tail on twitter. It's actually Puerto Rico Air National Guard, tail 50968. I'm trying to find more information on that airframe.

Still no word if anybody survived, but as Zaph said the pictures don't looks good. THoughts and prayers for the families and the unit.......

a reply to: Zaphod58

Very unwelcome news.

It was a WC-130H belonging to the 156th Airlift Wing. They normally fly into storms to get detailed data for forecasters. Full tail number is 65-0968, meaning it was built in 1965. It appears that it was heading into the Boneyard for storage.

There do not appear to be any survivors is the official word.

a reply to: Zaphod58

isn't this the 2nd C-130 to crash in a matter of days? The other one was in Libya or something like that?

a reply to: rktspc

An engine failure at or immediately after takeoff is critical, but mostly survivable, especially with 3 other TP's that can power the aircraft. Flying on 3 is a much practiced emergency drill, and as long as it is handled correctly, especially if it happens on takeoff, the bird will stay airborne. It can be really serious if one of the turbines explodes, thus injuring another engine or compromising the wing. This will all come out, hopefully soon. Hope and prayers for more survivors.

a reply to: FamCore

Libyan Air Force, also an H model.

a reply to: Zaphod58

And it's not just the Air Force that's in this sorry state. The other day I passed a convoy of national guard humvees where multiple vehicles had wobbling mis-balanced tires and rain covers held together with duct tape, and one glance at the major structural issues that the Ticons are having makes the idea that they're the backbone of the USN's air defense system downright terrifying. We as a nation have spent a quarter century being complacent and choosing to save money by not replacing old systems and airframes while allowing the few projects we HAVE undertaken to balloon into nightmarish monsters of pork-ridden bloat that come in years behind schedule and billions of dollars over-budget.

Now, our chickens are coming home to roost, and the sad reality is that despite a handful of flashy fighter programs and a bunch of expensive toys collecting dust at Groom and TTR, the USAF today is probably closer to the Russian Air Force in terms of fleet age and the state of its equipment than it is to the PLAAF, and unfortunately this is all happening as the Chinese are in the midst of a major, 1930s Germany-level re-armament (at the same time that we can't even get a tanker based on a Carter-era airliner to work right).

Geopolitical concerns aside, it just especially sucks that lives are being lost because of this ****storm of apathy, pork, and governmental inertia/indecisiveness. My condolences to everyone involved.

a reply to: charlyv


there are survivors, 7. Can't confirm that but that's the rumor.

Local News

a reply to: Caughtlurking

There were 5 on board and they're reporting all dead now. That's the only source reporting 9 on board so far.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I edited before I saw your response. Yeah I see that they've redacted a bit as well.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I'm pretty sure that I worked on that plane. In 1989. We upgraded the engines and props.

The aircraft had been in Savannah for "several days" undergoing maintenance. A witness said he saw it at low altitude, left wing low before slamming into the ground.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I'm going to hazard a guess and say wing spar failure. It has happened before. Some of those WC-130s are upgraded A models.

a reply to: JIMC5499

There was something recently about the spars too IIRC.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Live Chopper22 feed.
www.wyff4.com...

They're reporting 21 could be closed for weeks.

a reply to: JIMC5499

That video of the forestry herc becoming an impromptu ornithopter is one of the most spine-chilling aircraft accident videos that I've ever seen.