"Eleven dead as US military plane crashes in Afghanistan"

RallyPoint Shared Content — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 10:18:24 -0400

From: Al Jazeera

Eleven people have been killed in a crash of a US military transport aircraft at an airport in eastern Afghanistan, a US military spokesman has said.

The crew of six US military service members were among the dead, along with another five passengers, civilians who were contracted employees of the US-led international force, the spokesman said.

The incident took place at around midnight [19:30 GMT] on Thursday at Jalalabad airport.

The army spokesman said that there were no reports of enemy fire at the time and the incident was under investigation, however, the Taliban claimed it had shot down the aircraft.

The contractors had been working for "Resolute Support," the NATO-led training mission.

The C-130 Hercules, a cargo plane built by Lockheed Martin, is powered by four turboprop engines and is used extensively by the military to ship troops and heavy gear.

The aircraft can take off and land on rough, dirt strips and is widely used by the US military in hostile areas.

Jalalabad is located near the border with Pakistan.

Training mission

Most NATO combat troops pulled out of Afghanistan last year but a small contingent remains, including roughly 10,000 US soldiers.

The US soldiers, along with other NATO troops and private contractors, are focusing on training Afghanistan's national security forces.

The crash comes with Afghan forces battling the Taliban which has blighted the country since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

The Taliban's recent advances in the city of Kunduz and neighbouring Takhar and Baghlan provinces highlight that a large and strategic patch of northern Afghanistan is imperilled by a rapidly expanding battlefield.

It is also seen as a game-changer for the fractious armed movement that has been dogged by a leadership crisis since the announcement in July of founder Mullah Omar's death.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/10/deadly-military-plane-crashes-afghanistan [login to see] 53423.html

Eleven dead as US military plane crashes in Afghanistan

Six crew members and five contractors killed as transport plane crashes at Jalalabad airport, a US army spokesman says.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Oct 2 at 2015 10:24 AM

LTC Stephen F. — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 10:24:35 -0400

Very sad news. I am not surprised that the Taliban attempted to take credit for this tragedy.
It has been some time since an aircraft went down with so many service people being killed. I had hoped it would be a long time in coming.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2015 10:41 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 10:41:19 -0400

Unfortunately accidents happen. Although flying is typically safer than driving to work, it doesn't come without its risks. I feel for those involved and their families.

Response by PFC Adam Haney made Oct 2 at 2015 11:43 AM

PFC Adam Haney — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 11:43:34 -0400

We will know what really happened to the plane when they get the black box and review it to see what caused the crash.

Response by PFC Stephen Eric Serati made Oct 2 at 2015 12:59 PM

PFC Stephen Eric Serati — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 12:59:52 -0400

My thoughts and prayers

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2015 1:31 PM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 13:31:49 -0400

OK let's think about this... the Taliban are taking credit for shooting this plane down. With what? A stinger? Doubtful. Sure, maybe there are one or two left in the country from the 70's/80's (whenever we were supplying their fight against the Soviets). Without proper storage, there is no way that thing still works 30-something years later. Plus they'd need a BCU for it, which is a one-time use battery coolant unit which, if they had any that weren't rusted to hell, they certainly wouldn't waste them trying to shoot at night at anything fixed-wing flying blackout. Ever try to use night sights for a stinger? (which they absolutely do not have) I have. They're awful. And no chance of using the regular sights with NVGs.

What else might they use? RPG? Again, an impossible shot at night. First, they'd have to practically be on the base to get a shot at a low enough altitude. These cowards prefer to shoot at the base from several clicks away with rockets & mortars. Second, if by some miracle they managed to hit their target, how many spots are their on a C-130 that 1 shot will take it down? That's one tough aircraft.

I'm not gonna speculate as to what DID crash this bird, but I'd bet my left nut it wasn't shot down by the Taliban.

Source: over a decade as SHORAD & approximately 900 dark nights spent at Jalalabad Airfield/ FOB Fenty.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Aug 17 at 2021 4:51 PM

SSG Edward Tilton — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 16:51:52 -0400

They were Contracted Mercenaries sneaking off to Tadjikistan How SAd