A Lockheed C-130H Hercules (65-0968) operated by the Puerto Rican Air National Guard crashed shortly after take-off from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Savannah, Georgia on May 2, 2018. The aircraft came down on Highway 21 in Port Wentworth, about 1.5 miles northeast of the airport. It appears that the aircraft was in a steep, descending left bank when it went into a near vertical dive prior to impact. All 9 crew members on board were killed in the accident.
The aircraft was assigned to the 156th Air Wing, and took part in the rescue of U.S. citizens stranded in the British Virgin Islands following Hurricane Irma, and to transport supplies to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit the island last year. The aircraft was more than 60 years old at the time of the crash.
It’s always sad when an aircraft crashes, even more so when there are lives lost in the incident. What makes this accident so tragic is that the specific aircraft was operating its last flight ever. It was on its final flight to Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona to be decommissioned and retired from service.
