MISSISSIPPI KC-130T PLANE CRASH DEADLIEST IN A DECADE

We are honored to represent the families of several of the brave service members who died in this tragedy.

Early in the evening of July 10, 2017, a Marine Corps KC-130T plane experienced a catastrophic mechanical failure at cruise altitude and crashed in Leflore County, Mississippi, killing 15 Marines and one Navy Corpsman. There were no survivors. The probable cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The plane departed from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, and was transporting personnel and equipment to the Naval Air Facility, El Centro, California. According to reports, the military plane went down at around 4:00 p.m. in a soybean field between the cities of Itta Bena and Moorhead.

The aviation accident is the deadliest the Marine Corps has experienced in more than a decade. If you lost a loved one in this tragedy and are interested in learning more about your legal rights, contact the aviation attorneys at Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman today for a free case evaluation, or call (855) 948-5098.

According to Marine Brig. Gen. Bradley James, the crash left two “large impact areas.” One of the impact areas was a half-mile north of US Route 82, and the other about a half-mile south of the highway. The remains of the deceased were found at both impact areas, and debris from the ill-fated flight was scattered over several miles.

Given the impact zones and large debris field, aviation attorney and Marine Corps veteran Timothy Loranger believes that the plane must have experienced some kind of in-flight catastrophic mechanical failure.

“While the investigation into this tragedy is still in the early stages, it appears that the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure related to one of its four engines at cruising altitude that caused an in-flight breakup and the pilots to lose control,” said Loranger, who worked on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules during his years of service in the Marine Corps. “I would hope, and expect, that an examination of the propeller systems will be conducted to determine if a malfunction of one of them could have initiated the catastrophe.”

“The KC-130 Hercules has long been considered a workhorse of the Marine Corps, used for refueling of other aircraft, as well as transporting personnel and equipment. While these aircraft are traditionally thought of as being reliable, many who work on them and fly them know that they can, at times, be temperamental.”

The military is conducting an investigation into the Mississippi plane crash. A final report on the cause of the crash is not expected to be released for several months.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the Navy Corpsman and my fellow Marines who lost their lives,” said Loranger. “This tragedy requires a thorough investigation and appropriate steps to avoid a repeat in the future.”

WITNESSES RECALL THE HORROR OF THE MISSISSIPPI MILITARY PLANE CRASH

Area resident Andy Jones first noticed the plane as it was falling from the sky. Jones initially thought the aircraft must have been a stunt plane because it looked as if it were blowing smoke from the back. It soon dawned on him that the aircraft was in trouble and that the smoke he saw was actually coming off one of the wings.

“It didn’t take me very long to realize it was something that was about to be very tragic,” said Jones.

David Habig, a crop duster pilot, was one of the first to arrive at the scene of the KC-130 military plane crash. He found the aircraft upside-down and engulfed in flames with bodies lying in the soybean field. “They were everywhere,” Habig said. “It was horrific…I’d never seen anything like it.”