C-5 Cargo Jet Crashes; No Word Yet on 17 People on Board

All Aboard Survive C-5 Crash; Only Minor Injuries Reported

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2006 - An Air Force C-5 Galaxy cargo jet with 17 people on board crashed at 6:30 a.m. EDT today near Dover Air Force Base, Del.

Base officials said no report was available yet on the 17 people's condition. Firefighters, medics and security forces are on the scene.

Television news reports of the crash show the aircraft's tail a distance from the main wreckage, where the fuselage and nose are adjacent but separated.

The last previous C-5 crash was on Aug. 28, 1990, during Operation Desert Shield, when a C-5A crashed after takeoff from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, killing 13 of the 17 on board.

Update 8:24 April 4th. My computer crashec yesterday, so I didn't get this up date to C-5 story.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2006 - All 17 people aboard survived the crash of an Air Force C-5 Galaxy transport jet at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Air Force officials reported.

No official information was available on the condition of the survivors, who are members of Air Force Mobility Command's 436th Airlift Wing and the Air Force Reserve's 512th Airlift Wing. Both units are based at Dover.

The jet crashed short of the runway at 6:30 a.m. while attempting to return to the base shortly after takeoff, reportedly because of mechanical problems. The huge aircraft broke into three pieces -- the tail, fuselage and cockpit section.

A board of Air Force officers will investigate the crash. The last previous C-5 crash was on Aug. 28, 1990, during Operation Desert Shield, when a C-5A crashed after takeoff from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, killing 13 of the 17 people on board.

Semper Fi