The nine crew members aboard a Royal Canadian Air Force C-130 Hercules modified as a tanker escaped unharmed after an in-flight fire at NAS Key West last week. Photos obtained by Canadian Aviator magazine suggest the outcome could have been a lot different. The RCAF hasn’t said what caused the fire to put a big hole in the tail section of the aircraft. It has commended the crew for getting it on the ground and getting out, however.
The plane was in Key West as part of a training exercise for new CF-18 fighter pilots. When configured as a tanker, the Herc carries a 3,000-gallon fuel tank inside about 15 feet from the area of the fire.
