C-130 down in Mississippi-2017

Witnesses heard "low rumbling explosions" prior to seeing the aircraft spiral down to the ground, as well as at least one empty parachute that was deployed and floated down.

One witness said they saw an engine come off, while another said the cockpit came off, and the fuselage flip over and fall. The cockpit is said to have landed roughly 3 miles from the fuselage.

The Greenwood fire department arrived on scene at about 4:30, and fought the fire until 9pm, and when they left it was still burning and local crews were working on it.

originally posted by: JIMC5499
An engine runaway because of a malfunction in the prop feathering mechanism.

A sudden prop pitch reversal would certainly explain the plane suddenly flipping over in flight.

a reply to: starviego

It wouldn't be a reversal. When you feather a prop the blade turns perpendicular to the air flow. This reduces drag and prevents the air stream from freewheeling the prop. A freewheeling prop can overspeed and come apart.

A friend of mine posted on another blog that a message went out yesterday requiring that all Navy and Marine C-130s have their propeller gearbox chip detectors pulled and any chips on them are to be sent for analysis. They are also required to send a gearbox oil sample for analysis.

I don't know if this is related, but, the timing is interesting.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Can't remember where I read it, but one report said something about a quantity of explosives being onboard. That could make "rumbling explosions" maybe...?

a reply to: JIMC5499

The Herc has had several gearbox related problems over the years. None of them have been critical enough to ground them, but they've been there. That is very interesting timing.

a reply to: Salander

They were carrying personal weapons and ammunition for the Raider team that was on board. Half the team was in Yuma, this was the other half, with their gear heading to meet them.

Did the forward part of the fuselage break off? That would be highly unusual. The only known precedent for this that I can remember is the mid-air break-up of TWA 800, blamed on a center fuel tank explosion.

www.cnn.com...
The KC-130T aircraft that crashed in western Mississippi this week, killing all 16 troops on board, left two impact sites, Marines Brig Gen. Bradley James said Wednesday.

Or maybe one the props started throwing blades, or even the whole prop came off and sliced into the fuselage, effectively cutting it in half?

a reply to: starviego

I'm willing to bet the #3 prop separated and cut into the fuselage, and part of the engine or prop hit the right stab and when the aircraft began to roll from the stab damage the fuselage snapped.

a reply to: starviego

Came across an image of wreckage viewed from front and there's no forward fuselage or cockpit debris, wreckage stops several feet forward of main wing wreckage. I'd say about where prop arc would be.

Speculating we'll possibly hear of gearbox/prop hub assembly or parts thereof being found elsewhere soon.

As civvy I depend on experts here and ask,

If gearbox suffers sudden massive inflight failure on a 130 would result most likely be both loss of prop/blades and turbine failure from immediate resulting overspeed or torque involved in seizure.

Seems no matter if seizure, loss of gears or coming apart of gearbox at speed that end results would be same - is that about right?

a reply to: Phoenix

More or less, yes. Depending on how it comes apart you might see engine parts out the exhaust, shelling the engine out, but the most likely result is going to be the prop shaft snapping and the prop coming off.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Those people had no chance to even attempt to affect their fate, RIP

I'd be mighty incensed this tracks back to prior administration and it's military budget stance along with meely congressional support.

a reply to: Phoenix

IMO it's more likely to track back to the Depot. We've had problems with Depot maintenance tracking back to the 80s and early 90s. I did a thread before that showed multiple aircraft that were destroyed by mistakes at the Depot. Everything from leaving plugs in fuel tanks resulting in over pressure blowing the wing apart, to leaving fasteners off and the aircraft coming apart.

a reply to: Zaphod58

You gotta love the union work ethic.

a reply to: JIMC5499

And the lack of QA.

The BATF and federal prosecutors have begun a criminal investigation into at least one person for removing wreckage from the scene.

Dan Baldassar and Staff Sergeant Joshua Snowden have been identified. Sgt Snowden was a Flight Engineer on board.

Just saw an article that said the engine has been located 3miles from the fuselage. Crazy

RIP guys, Semper Fi

a reply to: 8675309jenny

They broke up in flight, possibly from a catastrophic engine failure.

a reply to: Zaphod58

R.I.P. those in that ship. Terrible.

Agree that it appears the cockpit may have been sheered off by the props and/or turbine coming apart on that inboard engine. Remembering on a P-3, where they paint that vertical red safety line on the fuselage after the cockpit, reminding you of where that could happen.

I would imagine that any explosives were stored aft, so may not have been involved in the breakup... but we will probably find out soon enough.

Eyewitness account:

www.nytimes.com...
(Witness Clarence Garrard ) said he turned to see the doomed aircraft twisting and losing altitude, and saw one person jump from it and open a parachute ...
Mr. Habig, the crop-duster pilot, said he flew at 500 feet... "You could see what they were wearing.”
“They looked like they were in civilian clothes to me,” he said. “Most that I saw had on gray breeches.”

Civilian clothes? Hmmm....