C5 crashes in Delaware.

[Franko]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060403/cargo_plane_060403/20060403?hub=World

No deaths in U.S. cargo plane crash in Delaware

Updated Mon. Apr. 3 2006 10:40 AM ET

Associated Press

DOVER, Del. — A C-5 cargo plane carrying 17 people crashed just short of a runway at Dover Air Force Base early Monday after developing problems during takeoff, military officials said.

Everyone aboard the plane survived, though several people were injured, said Tech. Sgt. Melissa Phillips, a spokeswoman for the base.

BayHealth in Dover said the hospital had about 10 people from the plane, including some who appeared able to walk.

The C-5, the military's largest plane, went down about 6:30 a.m. and broke into three pieces, with the cockpit separated from the fuselage and left lying at a right angle to the main part of the plane. The broken-off tail assembly was several hundred yards away and a wing was shattered, but there was no evidence of smoke or flames.

Emergency crews, some in hazardous materials suits, examined the wreckage in light rain and under overcast skies.

According to initial reports, the plane had just taken off and had some indications of a problem, said Col. Ellen Haddock, spokeswoman at the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It turned back to land and fell short of the runway, she said. It wasn't immediately clear if the plane was carrying cargo when it went down.

Maj. Ange Keskey of the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois confirmed 17 people were aboard and said the crash is being investigated.

The C-5 Galaxy, made by Lockheed, is one of the largest 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, according to Lockheed Martin Corp.

Dover is home to the 436th Airlift Wing, with more than 4,000 active-duty military and civilian employees, and operates the largest and busiest air freight terminal in the Defense Department. The base is also home to the Charles C. Carson Center for Mortuary Affairs, which processes bodies from the nation's wars.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/03/c5.crash/index.html

No fatalities among 17 aboard, Air Force says

Monday, April 3, 2006; Posted: 11:35 a.m. EDT (15:35 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Air Force C-5 cargo jet carrying 17 people crashed and broke into pieces Monday while trying to make an emergency landing near Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Air Force and FAA officials said.

No one was killed, but several aboard were injured, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Melissa Phillips, a spokeswoman for the base, told The Associated Press.

Fourteen of the crew were taken to Bayhealth Medical Center-Kent General Hospital, according to hospital communications director Pam Marecki, all with non-life threatening injuries. Most will be released soon, she said, but some will be admitted.

Pentagon sources told CNN the aircraft "declared an in-flight emergency for a No. 2 engine flameout."

The C-5 jet, assigned to the 436th Air Wing at Dover AFB, was being operated by an Air National Guard unit, officials told CNN. (Watch how the plane cracked into three pieces -- 1:10)

The C-5 Galaxy, the largest aircraft in the U.S. military inventory, came down short of the runway at Dover about 6:30 a.m., the officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane had taken off from Dover and crashed while attempting to return.

Television images showed the plane had broken into at least three pieces, with the cockpit separated at a right angle from the rest of the fuselage. The broken-off tail assembly was several hundred yards away, AP reported.

The military has 126 C-5s in its active and reserve inventory, according the Air Force's official Web site.

According to the Web site, globalsecurity.org, the crash was the fourth in the history of the C-5, which entered service in 1970. Three of the planes have been destroyed in ground fires.

The most famous of the C-5 crashes occurred in April 1975, when one of the giant jets carrying orphans out of Vietnam went down while trying to make an emergency landing in Saigon after a door lock failed in flight. The crash killed 138 of the 314 aboard, including 127 children, according to globalsecurity.org.

The C-5 can carry 270,000 pounds of cargo almost 2,500 miles on one load of fuel. The C-5's wingspan is 28 feet wider than a 747 and the military jet is 16 feet longer than the civilian airliner.

Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[Matty B.]

I remember a few months ago when CTV reported a Hercules crash near Goose Bay... they were DYING to comment on the CF's aging fleet, but the crash turned out to be a hoax. If a crash like this C5 happened here, the CBC and CTV would be all over it.

 

[Armymatters]

I have the official crash result investigation report, this was sent to me by e-mail from a friend:

6/13/2006 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill (AFPN) -- The results of an investigation into the C-5 Galaxy crash at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on April 3 found that human error was the cause, Air Mobility Command officials released today.

The accident investigation board determined the pilots and flight engineers did not properly configure, maneuver and power the aircraft during approach and landing.

Following a normal takeoff and initial climb, the C-5 aircrew observed a No. 2 engine “Thrust Reverser Not Locked” indication light. They shut down the No. 2 engine as a precaution and returned to Dover AFB. The board determined that during the return to the base:

-- The pilots and flight engineers continued to use the shut-down No. 2 engine’s throttle while leaving the fully-operational No. 3 engine in idle.

-- Both instructor and primary flight engineers failed to brief, and pilots failed to consider and use, a proper flap setting.

-- The pilots’ attempt at a visual approach to runway 32 resulted in the aircraft descending well below a normal glidepath for an instrument-aided approach or the normal visual flight rules pattern altitude.

-- The aircraft commander failed to give a complete approach briefing that would have included non-standard factors, configuration, landing distance and missed approach intentions.

All 17 people on board the C-5 survived the crash, but three crewmembers were seriously injured when the aircraft stalled, hit a utility pole and crashed into a field about a mile short of the runway. The other passengers and crewmembers sustained minor injures and were treated and released from local hospitals.

The aircraft was assigned to the 436th Airlift Wing and was flown by members of the 512th Airlift Wing, a Reserve associate unit at Dover. It was bound for Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and was carrying 105,000 pounds of replenishment supplies for the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility

Summary: Pilot error.