C-5 Galaxy crash at Dover AFB

[Duke]

MSNBC story.

It seems a C-5 cargo plane - world's second or third largest - went down after developing mechanical troubles shortly after takeoff. Judging from my knowledge of the area, it looks like they took off northbound off the main runway, ran into trouble and tried to return, and crashed downwind while trying to get back to the runway. That's a guess on my part though.

17 people were on board. 10 treated for injuries at a local hospital but no word of fatalities. Judging by the relatively intact state of the plane, I'd say they did a good job putting it down gently and I'm hoping to hear that there were no deaths.

 

[ceiling_fan]

Just heard about this. It could have been a lot worse, good thing it wasn't a commercial plane.


1600th post

 

[DQuaN]

Wow.

Having just taken off, it must have been loaded with fuel. Good job on putting it down intact.

 

[Duke]

OK, they're saying all 17 passengers survived, most with minor injuries. Sounds like it was possibly a multiple bird strike.

Updates:

Additional local news article.

Background on C5 modernization.

 

[Dave A]

Well that's good news that no one was killed, it does seem like the pilot's have done a good job bringing it down gently.

 

[Keef]

Ahh, our highly trained and skilled military pilots. They set her down in fine shape, all but the broken neck. I'm sort of glad it happened there and not here, though. At Wright-Patterson there are a bunch of C-5s, newly aquired, that fly almost every day. No matter the weather, well, besides a blizzard or something, those planes are flying big circles around Dayton.
The sound is a welcome change from the old C-141s. They have a distinct yet puzzling high-pitch wail, sort of like an F1 car crossed with a leaf blower--an electric one--but I'm always looking for the fire truck blaring its siren. Until I look up, of course.

 

[Duke]

Yeah, nothing else sounds like a C-5. The normal cruise engine pitch is quite low and moany, but when they're on the power they have a bit of shriek to them. There is also an auxilliary power turbine toward the tail that can add its own little high-pitch voice to it.

 

[High-Test]

I was scared half to death by the title alone. Something that big hitting the ground is never good. THankfully nobody was killed. So, are they going to investigate the wreckage and then send the parts to AMARC?

 

[Famine]

OK, they're saying all 17 passengers survived, most with minor injuries. Sounds like it was possibly a multiple bird strike.

To bring down a Galaxy? What were they? Emu?

 

[High-Test]

To bring down a Galaxy? What were they? Emu?

Maybe it ingested it's escort fighters?

 

[Duke]

To bring down a Galaxy? What were they? Emu?

The C-5 must have been flying really low then...

Actually, the AFB is surrounded on 2 sides by wetlands and is right near the Delaware Bay. They've had problems before with migratory birds feeding at a landfill/garbage transfer station there too. Right now they're thinking multiple Canada geese, but there's nothing definitive.

 

[Duke]

I happened to be down near the AFB yesterday afternoon, so I tried to get a closer look. I could only get within about a mile of the aircraft, but it is clearly visible from the main highway. The road that goes right past the crash site is closed until they can recover the plane and move it back onto the base.

The crew did an excellent job setting the crippled giant down carefully. They put it down in an open field bordered by two moderately busy roads, and about a mile short of a very busy highway they would have had to cross not once but twice on the base leg of their approach. Although in general the area is vary flat and open, the plopped it in at a place that would do the least possible ground damage (in fact none) and give the best possible chance for crew survival.

It is definitely weird to see the big thing laying there like a beached whale. It will be interesting to see what they do to move it the mile or so across the road and back onto the base.