![]() Renamed N130HP it was taken on by the General Service Administration and released to the Department of the Interior after modding for fire suppression. ‘56–0538 was sold as surplus to other USG entities in 1986. N130HP Tanker 130 circa early 2002 at Union Co. Most of the A-models were turned over to the boneyard by 1988. C-130E and H1 were modded but not the A-models. This was most obvious in the USAF’s decision to not replace the center wing box of the A-models when Lockheed advised it as a recommended upgrade (late 70’s, early 80’s). Add to this the arrival of the C-130H models, the presence of C-130E models, and the attention to the C-130A simply wasn’t there. Deferments of depot level activity and other heavy work occurred. Maintenance was performed and documented but this was during the “hollow force” era and attention to detail was not as much of a priority for understaffed and underfunded units. ‘Once returned to the USAF the plane was placed in the USAFR inventories and used by a number of squadrons. It is unknown if the aircraft experienced overloading, over-g or any other potential airframe compromising damage or use.’ There is nothing available as to the use, environment and employment of the airframe. ‘This aircraft spent four years without any documented details on its maintenance history. Southern Air Transport was a front company for the CIA. The particular company for this partnering, Southern Air Transport. ![]() Except… in the late 1960’s the aircraft’s library showed a break in records keeping of over four years. 56–0538 had been released from the USAF to a program that “partnered” with “industry”. Like all USAF aircraft it possessed a detailed flight and maintenance history in archive that accompanied the aircraft throughout its service life. Tail 56–0538, the original USAF designation, had seen service in Europe, Southeast Asia and the Americas. Specifically, it was one of the original 1957 production models and among only a few still considered airworthy in 2002. ‘This C-130’s history is an important part of the story. Like most accidents simple answers only are sufficient for the simple,’ Birr says. ‘The 2002 Walker, California crash of C-130A, N130HP, Tanker 130 has often been attributed to structural failure (the simplest ‘correct’ answer), a design flaw (partially correct) and human factors (incorrect when referring to this crew). The investigation disclosed “evidence of fatigue cracks in the right wing’s lower surface skin panel, with origins beneath the forward doubler.Ĭy Birr, Retired USAF pilot after 24 years flying the C-130, adds some interesting details about the accident on Quora. The NTSB investigated the crash and determined that the accident was caused by a structural failure that occurred at the wing-to-fuselage attach point, with the right wing failing just before the left. It rolled, inverted and crashed into the forest below, killing all three crewmen (pilot Steve Wass, co-pilot Craig Labare, flight engineer Michael Davis) aboard. In 2002, a C-130, call sign Tanker 130 owned by Hawkins & Powers Aviation of Greybull, Wyoming and operated under contract to the United States Forest Service (USFS), had its wings fall off mid-flight as it was fighting northern Californian wildfires. ![]() In 2002, a C-130, call sign Tanker 130 owned by Hawkins & Powers Aviation of Greybull, Wyoming and operated under contract to the United States Forest Service, had its wings fall off mid-flight as it was fighting northern Californian wildfires.
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