Middle East
No injuries as C-130 makes hard landing in Afghanistan
Stars and Stripes
May 20, 2013
KABUL, Afghanistan — A C-130 Hercules made a hard landing at Forward Operating Base Shank in Logar province on Sunday afternoon, NATO officials said. While the landing didn’t cause any injuries, it was the latest in a recent series of aviation incidents in Afghanistan.
ISAF said the C-130 from 772nd Airlift Squadron, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing at Kandahar Airfield, was conducting a medical evacuation when the incident occurred. Officials declined to elaborate about possible damage to the aircraft.
Hard landings occur when an aircraft impact the ground while descending at a rate greater than normal. They often result injuries and in irreparable structural damage to the airframe.
Afghanistan is a notoriously difficult place to fly, given its mountainous terrain and the hot-and-high operating conditions. International forces make extensive use of helicopters and planes to hop from base to base rather than using the mine-infested road network.
When a contracted 747 crashed shortly after takeoff on April 29 at Bagram Air Field, video of the fiery disaster from a dashboard camera went viral. Investigators believe the crash, which killed seven, was caused by a heavy Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle coming loose from its moorings and throwing off the plane’s balance.
Two days before that, an MC-12 Liberty went down in bad weather in Zabul province, killing all four Americans on board. And on April 21, the crash of a contracted helicopter led to 11 passengers being taken hostage by the Taliban. While the eight Turks on board were recently freed, there has been no word about the Afghan, Ukrainian and Kyrgyz crew members.