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SAVANNAH, GA (AP) – A pilot error is behind the crash of a military plane that claimed the lives of nine people outside Savannah, Georgia, according to a report of the US Air Force Accident Investigation Committee.
Nine aviators of the Puerto Rico National Guard died on May 2, when the plane plunged onto Georgia Highway 21 shortly after taking off from Savannah Airport.
"The investigation was aimed at identifying the cause and the factors that led to this tragic and unfortunate incident," said Brig, the leader of the accident investigation team. General John C. Millard. "By conducting a thorough review and investigation, we hope to provide answers to the families of brave airmen who have lost their lives and prevent tragedies and future events."
The Millard team has spent nearly a month reviewing a variety of pieces of evidence, including interviews, logbooks, videos, briefing materials and the like. inspection of the wreckage of the aircraft, before gathering a detailed sequence of events surrounding the accident.
According to the report, the most outboard left engine had encountered problems and investigators found that the crew's poor management of the fault was contrary to standard procedures. If these procedures are not followed, any further action by the pilot will result in a loss of control of the aircraft, which will cause it to crash.
The aircraft was assigned to a crew from the 156th Air Transport Wing at Muniz Air Base, from Puerto Rico. Their mission was to deliver the C-130 Savannah aircraft to an air force base in Arizona, commonly known as "Boneyard", where he would be disarmed.
The pilot of the aircraft was previously identified as Commander Jose R. Roman Rosado, of Manati, Puerto Rico.
The nine crew members were all involved in the post-hurricane recovery efforts of the 198th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed Bucaneros, taking off from Muniz Base in the coastal city of North Carolina, said the Adjutant Isabelo Rivera, commander of the Puerto Rico National Guard. . The squadron used the plane to rescue Americans from the British Virgin Islands after hurricane Irma, and then to provide food and water to desperate Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria.
