Seventeen People Recovering After Surviving C-5 Crash
Seventeen people are in
various stages of recovery after surviving a C-5 aircraft crash
less than a mile from Dover Air Force Base's southern perimeter
Monday.
"Our crew did a spectacular job of landing the airplane in its
location," said Air Force Col. Chad T. Manske, 436th Airlift Wing
vice commander and current acting commander of the wing.
"Thankfully, there were no fatalities or injuries, and by the grace
of God the aircraft didn't explode."
The C-5B Galaxy broke apart into three major pieces at 6:42 a.m.
in a grassy area surrounding the base's fenced perimeter. The land
is classified as proprietary to the base and was purchased years
ago to provide a cushion of airspace to protect the civilian
population from extremely rare and unlikely incidents such as this,
said Manske said.
At approximately 6:21 a.m., the transport plane took off headed
for Ramstein Air Base, Germany, carrying supplies destined for
people serving in the global war on terror. Officials will release
further details after Air Force officers analyze information
collected from accident and safety investigation boards.
In incidents like this, the crew is trained to declare an
in-flight emergency and would have checked to ensure the plane was
still under control. At that point, the crew would assess the cause
of the emergency, process their aircraft checklists, determine a
location to safely land to mitigate risks and prevent loss of life,
and communicate their course of action to everyone aboard the
plane, Manske said.
The gigantic plane, which can transport six Greyhound buses
end-to-end and looms above the flightline at the height of a
six-story building, crashed into the field at 6:42 a.m.
Air Force and local first responders, including medical
professionals, firefighters, security forces and civil engineer
personnel, immediately responded to the scene.
Officials don't know why the aircraft, fully laden with fuel for
a long trip over the Atlantic Ocean, didn't blow up on impact.
Base officials won't speculate on the cause of the accident, but
they say they are thankful whatever the reason.
"Our crews are thoroughly and stringently trained on a continued
basis to handle events in the aircraft," said Air Force Col. Ronald
A. Rutland, commander of the 512th Airlift Wing, the Reserve wing
located at Dover. "At this time we are not sure of everything that
occurred during this flight; it's currently under
investigation.
"I consider our crews here at Dover, the 512th and 436th Airlift
Wings, as consummate professionals," Rutland said. "It is with
great relief that we had no loss of life in this incident."
The crew included 709th and 326th Airlift Squadron members from
the 512th AW and personnel from the 436th Aircraft Maintenance
Squadron, from the 436th AW.
This particular aircraft recently underwent an avionics
modernization program upgrade to convert the cockpit from 1960s
instrument technology to one similar to that used by modern
civilian airliners.
Introduced in 1998, the modernization program enhances aircraft
reliability and maintainability, and helps maintain structural and
system integrity, while reducing operating costs, officials
said.
"The (modernized) cockpits are needed to operate aircraft in the
saturated airspace over the North Atlantic Ocean and Europe,"
Manske said. "It also allows us to interface with other military
and civilian airplanes more precisely than before."
Only five C-5 aircraft have been lost since the plane's
inception in 1969. Until now, no Dover planes have been destroyed.
"The safety of the aircraft is paramount to our crews or they
wouldn't have flown it that morning," Manske said. "It's a great
aircraft. It sustained a massive force against its hull during the
crash, yet it still protected our crews."
A board of Air Force officers has convened and is investigating
the cause of the accident. In order to protect the integrity of the
investigation process, none of the crewmembers will be able to
discuss the crash, officials said. The unclassified findings will
be released to the public as soon as the board results are
released. Officials noted such accident and safety investigations
typically take about four months to complete.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the survivors, family members
and coworkers impacted by the crash," Manske said. "We wish all of
them a speedy recovery." [ANN Salutes Tech. Sgt. Melissa Phillips,
USAF, American Forces Press Service]
The crewmembers were listed in the following conditions as of
mid-afternoon Tuesday:
- Capt. Brian Lafreda, 326th AS, fair, at the Christiana
Hospital, Christiana, Del.;
- Lt. Col. Robert Moorman, 326th AS, fair, Christiana;
- Lt. Col. Harlan Nelson, 326th AS, fair, Kent General
Hospital-Bay Health Medical Center, Dover, Del.;
- Master Sgt. Timothy Feiring, 709th AS, released;
- Master Sgt. Michael Benford, 709th AS, released;
- Tech. Sgt. Vincent Dvorak, 709th AS, fair, Christiana;
- Master Sgt. Brenda Kremer, 709th AS, released;
- Chief Master Sgt. David Burke, 326th AS, released;
- Chief Master Sgt. George Mosley, 709th AS, released;
- Tech. Sgt. Henry Fortney, 326th AS, released;
- Senior Airman Scott Schaffner, 89th AS, stationed at
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, released;
- Tammy Lucas, Lockheed Martin employee, fair, Kent General;
- Staff Sgt. David Abrams, 436th AMXS, released;
- Senior Airman Nicholas Vather, 436th Aircraft Maintenance
Squadron, fair, Kent General;
- Retired Navy Chief Petty Officer Paul Kath, released;
- Hannelore Kath, released; and
- Retired Tech. Sgt. Raul Salamanca, released.