11 accidents of Lockheed aircraft since 2000

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport plane, operated by the Indonesian Air Force, took off from Medan, Indonesia, for a military flight to Tanjung, Indonesia. On board were a crew of 12 and 101 passengers. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff in a populated area. All 113 occupants were killed in the crash. 22 people on ground have been caught up in the crash and were killed. The plane took off from Medan-Soewondo Air Force Base, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It was carrying Military personnel and their family members, students and other civilians (sometimes, Indonesian civilians also hitch rides on military flights to get to islands which might otherwise be inaccessible). The plane was also carrying logistical supplies to bases. Shortly after takeoff, the crew radioed that they were returning to base. About two minutes later the aircraft impacted buildings, crashed, and burst into flames. The crash site is 5 kilometers (3 NM) from the air base. Images from the scene showed crowds gathering around the wreckage of the plane amid damaged buildings and a burned-out car. Thick smoke rose from the smouldering debris as firefighters battled to put out the flames. The aircraft, built in the United States in the 1960s, had been inspected and cleared to fly before it took off from Medan.

The Algerian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport plane took off from Tamanrasset, Algeria for a flight to Constantine, Algeria. The plane was carrying military personnel and family members. 74 passengers and 4 crewmembers were onboard. The aircraft crashed during its approach to Constantine airport. 77 people were killed in the accident, and one person survived. The U.S.-built C-130 Hercules transport slammed into a mountain near the town of Ain Kercha, in a mountainous area in the Oum El Bouaghi province, 16 NM away from the runway. The airplane could be seen broken into three parts. Unfavourable weather conditions with moderate visibility and strong winds were prevailing at the time of the accident.

The Lockheed C-130J-30 Hercules belonging to the Royal Norwegian Air Force took off from Harstad, Norway, for a military flight to Kiruna, Sweden. 5 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed, near Tarfala in Sweden. All 5 people onboard were killed. The C-130 was taking part in a Norwegian-led military exercise with 16,000 soldiers from 14 countries. The plane was supposed to be flown manually during a part of the flight. However, the C130 flew into the western wall of the Kebnekaise Mountain, 80 km west of Kiruna, at full force just below the summit. The impact was so violent that the plane has been completely destroyed: many debris passed over the mountain and landed on the glacial part on the opposite side. Also, the explosion triggered an avalanche. Bad weather was reported in the area of the accident. Cloud cover, poor visibility and strong winds were reported. The wreckage has been found two days after the accident.

The Lockheed C-130H Hercules operated by the Moroccan Air Force took off from Dakhla, Morocco, for a military flight to Kinitra, Morocco, with an en-route stop at Goulimime, morocco (also known as Guelmim). The airplane carried 9 crew members, 60 troops and 11 civilians. It crashed during its approach to Goulimime air base, killing all 80 people onboard. The plane was preparing to land at Goulimime's military air base when it slammed into a mountain. The wreckage was found rapidly after the accident, in a mountainous area in south of Morocco, about 10 km East of Goulimime air base. The plane has been pulverised by the impact. The weather conditions were bad: dense fog – therefore low visibility - was prevailing at the time of the accident.

The Transafrik International Hercules L-100-20 (civilian version of the C-130) on behalf of National Air Cargo was performing cargo flight from Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, to Kabul, Afghanistan, with 8 crewmembers onboard. The plane impacted a mountain near Kabul, killing all 8 people onboard. The plane was carrying NATO supplies. The airplane was on a VFR flight from Bagram to Kabul. The crew joined the downwind for runway 29 and was instructed to maintain visual separation to a preceding aircraft. The crew continued on the downwind until impacting a mountain in the Pol-e Charkhi area about 6 NM (11 km) northeast of Kabul Airport at approximately 1000 feet above aerodrome elevation and about 200 feet below the peak. It was very dark with less than a quarter moon. The airplane was not equipped with a terrain awareness and warning system. Mountains raise up to 3000 meters (9800 ft) about 25-30km east of the city of Kabul. The Gharib Ghar Peak approximately 6 NM (11 km) northeast of the airport rises to about 2200 meters (7200 feet).

A Lockeed KC-130J Hercules transport and tanker aircraft, operated by the Italian Air Force, took off from Pisa, Italy, for a training flight. Five crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed immediately after take-off, and burst into flames. The five people onboard were killed. The aircraft took off from Pisa's Galileo Galilei international airport for a military flight, but immediately after lift off, the airplane failed to gain altitude, came down on a railway line, broke up and caught fire. The KC-130 has been completely destroyed.

The United States Coast Guard Hercules HC-130H took off from Sacramento, California, United States of America, for a search mission, and was supposed then to come back to Sacramento. But the plane was missing after a reported mid-air collision between the HC-130 and a US Marine Corps Bell AH-1 Super Cobra. 9 people perished in the accident: the 7 occupants of the HC-130 died, as well as the two occupants of the helicopter. The HC-130 mission was part of a search for a 12-foot vessel that had been missing for two days.The Cobra helicopter was heading to San Clemente island on a training mission out of Camp Pendleton with two crew. Both aircraft collided in flight. The wreckage of the HC-130 and the Cobra helicopter were found a few days after the accident, but no signs of crash victims.

The cargo plane took off from Algiers, Algeria, and was en route to Frankfurt, Germany, when it crashed in the vicinity of Milan, Italy. The aircraft was in contact with Milan Air Traffic Control but lost contact as it descended through 13 500 ft (4100 m) for an unknown reason. A few minutes before the accident, the pilot would have warned air traffic controllers in Milan that there had been a loss of engine power. The impact of the crash was devastating, creating a crater at the point of impact and scattering pieces of the aircraft over several kilometres. Witnesses’ reports are contradictory: some witnesses have reported seeing the aircraft engines in flames before it crashed; others said the plane exploded in flight. However all of them reported a "loud noise" and an aircraft flying at a "low altitude". All 3 crew members perished in the accident. The crash did not injure anyone on the ground. The analysis of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are necessary to understand what happened.

After takeoff from Dover Air Force Base, the huge military cargo aircraft had indications of engine problems, and declared an in-flight emergency for a No. 2 engine flameout. It turned back to perform an emergency landing on the Dover Air Force Base. But it fell short of the runway, and crashed in a field. The C-5 Galaxy the broke in two just behind the cockpit. The cockpit came to rest pointing toward the runway with the fuselage settling perpendicular to the runway. The tail assembly ended up several hundred yards from the plane, and one of the engines was thrown forward by the impact. There was no evidence of fire. All 17 crew members aboard survived, but some suffered minor injuries. They survived because the plane hit the ground wings level. Had they hit the wing tip first, they would all be dead. Passengers aboard the plane said they sensed a power failure in the aircraft's engines. One of them reported that the engines sounded like at cruising altitude, which just does not happen in five minutes. Characteristics of the C-5 Galaxy The C-5 Galaxy, made by Lockheed, is one of the largest military aircraft in the world. It was first delivered to the military in 1970. Even with a payload of 263,200 pounds, the latest version can fly non-stop for 2,500 miles at jet speeds. This C-5 was assigned to the 436th Air Wing at Dover AFB, and was being operated by an Air National Guard unit.

This U.S. military C-130 landed on a U.S. operated airfield in Iraq. A trench was being dug in the runway, and it was not marked. There was no NOTAM (notice to airmen) announcing the construction. It is a long runway, and the C-130 just landed beyond the construction. The aircraft was severely damaged when it hit the trench. The nose gear and forward undercarriage were sheared off and the left wing separated just outside the number 2 engine. The aircraft then caught fire. There were several injuries to the crew and the few passengers that were on board but luckily nobody was killed.

The airplane was making a fire retardant drop on a 10,000 acre forest fire near Walker, California, when the wings separated from the fuselage. A