Sen. John McCain on Friday applauded the Marine Corps’ decision to ground its KC-130T tanker aircraft following a crash this month that killed 15 Marines and a sailor.
The grounding affects 12 aircraft flown by the service’s reserve forces.
One of the Marine Reserve tankers crashed into a field and burst into flames in Mississippi on July 10 in what was one of the worst Marine aviation disasters in more than a decade.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Marine Corps took the prudent action not to fly our KC-130T aircraft in the wake of the mishap on July 10 until further notice,” Capt. Sarah Burns, a Marine spokeswoman, said in a statement.
McCain said the crash is a reminder of the dangers service members face and that his Armed Services Committee has made the condition of Marine aviation a top priority and will work with the service to ensure safety.
Loss of 16 service members in KC-130T crash reminds us of sacrifices our men & women in uniform make on daily basis https://t.co/vwxHVBpaDj
— John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) July 28, 2017
“While the investigation into the accident is ongoing, I commend the leadership of the Marine Corps for taking the precaution of suspending KC-130T aircraft flight operations,” McCain said.
The grounding was first reported by Defense News.
