He Last Flew It With Hostages Released From The Congo On Board In 1964

The brand new C-130E was having a difficult day in 1964. Flying out of a small airport in the Congo town of Stanleyville carrying 125 hostages that had just been released by Simba rebels in the Congo, the airplane took a lot of fire, and was described as being "riddled with bullet holes." One of those rounds punctured a fuel tank, and it leaked fuel during its entire 800-mile trip to a safe landing.

Air Force Captain Mac Secord was the pilot of the C-130E that day, and he had not seen the airplane since. It was so badly damaged that it was sent to a repair station and he moved on to other airplanes.

Secord's C-130E went on to have a long career, flying until it was retired in 2011, and landed as an exhibit at the museum at Warner Robbins Air Force Base in Georgia. He was reunited with the airplane at the museum last year, according to a report appearing in the Macon Telegraph.

Secord said he had to shut down one of the engines on the plane during that return flight with the freed hostages on board. While he said operating on three engines was not "a big deal," the leaking fuel was. He said there was a concern that the plane would catch fire during the flight.

The airplane is not normally available for public viewing, but it was opened briefly during Secord's visit to the base back in May. Secord said that his experience during "Operation Red Dragon" led him to believe that the C-130 is "the greatest airplane ever built."

(C-130E pictured in file photo)

FMI: www.museumofaviation.org