All nine crew members aboard a 50-year-old military cargo aircraft died Wednesday after crashing onto a road near a Savannah, Ga. airport.
The Puerto Rico Air National Guard C-130 Hercules plane was flying from Savannah to Tucson, Ariz., where it was set to be decommissioned, the National Guard said in a statement.
“Nine crew members died in the accident, but until their families and relatives are notified, we cannot give their names,” Brig. Gen. Isabelo Rivera said. “Our prayers, thoughts and condolences to the families and loved ones of our aviators.”
“While performing a training mission, an United States C-130 ‘Hercules’ cargo plane from Puerto Rico Air National Guard crashed at about 11:30 a.m. today near the Savannah Hilton Head International Airport with 5 people on board,” the Air Force said in a statement Wednesday.
“While we are waiting for more information regarding this unfortunate accident, my thoughts and those of Beatriz are with the families of the crew. They will receive our support and that of the National Guard of Puerto Rico in this process,” Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said, also declaring Thursday that there should be nine days of mourning for the nine lives lost.
Decretamos nueve días de duelo tras el fallecimiento de los nueve tripulantes del avión WC-130 de la Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico. pic.twitter.com/QA6ZQxIjB9
— Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello) May 3, 2018
Initial reports of the crash indicated there were only five crew members aboard, and some reports said two had died, while others said all five had lost their lives.
