UPDATED: Nine Killed In C-130 Crash
An Air National Guard WC-130 Hercules crashed near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) in Savannah, Georgia, on Wednesday. All nine people onboard were killed in the accident.
Image: Savannah Professional Firefighters Association
UPDATED: An Air National Guard WC-130 Hercules crashed near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) in Savannah, Georgia, on Wednesday. It has been confirmed that there were nine people onboard, all of whom were killed in the accident. A press release from the National Guard 165th Airlift Wing stated that the aircraft was on training mission and it is also being reported that this was mission was scheduled to be the aircraft's last military flight. The names of the victims have not yet been released.
A spokesperson for the Department of Defense said the aircraft, which was used for weather reconnaissance, was part of the 156th Airlift Wing based in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The plane was reportedly enroute to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona when it went down at the intersection of Highway 21 and Crossgate Road. The Savannah Professional Firefighters Association said there was a significant post-crash fire, causing road closures that are expected to last for several weeks. According to SAV, some commercial flights at the airport were also affected. The Air Force and the National Guard Bureau are investigating the accident.
The crash is the latest in series of fatal military accidents this year. In a single week this April, five military crashes killed seven service members.
