1986 — April 2, USAF Hercules C-130 Loses Wing, Crashes, near Magdalena, NM — 11
— 11 ASN. Accident description. USAF Lockheed HC-130P Hercules, Magdalena, NM, 4-2-86
— 11 Baugher, Joseph F. 1966 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.
— 11 Planecrashinfo.com. “1986. Accident Details. USAF…Near Magdalena, NM, 4-2-1986”
— 11 Roswell Daily Record (NM). “11 Die in AF Crash,” April 3, 1986, p. 1.
Narrative Information
Baugher: “Lockheed HC-130P-130-LM Hercules….0211 (c/n 382-4161) crashed Magdalena, NM Apr 3, 1986.[1] 11 killed. Cause was wing failure due to turbulence at low altitude.” (Baugher, Joseph F. 1966 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.)
Planecrashinfo.com: “Lost a wing in heavy turbulence at low altitude.” No survivors. (Planecrashinfo.com.)
Newspaper
April 3, AP: “Magdalena (AP) – An Air Force HC-130 search-and-rescue airplane crashed in a ball of flames 16 miles north of Magdalena on Wednesday, killing all 11 crewmembers aboard, authorities said. The airplane, assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base at Albuquerque, crashed at about 12:30 p.m., said Kay Peterson, spokeswoman at the base. George Pearce, deputy director of public affairs at Kirtland, confirmed the deaths of those aboard, and said their names were being withheld until relatives could be notified. He said the cause of the crash will be investigated by a board of Air Force officers. “The wreckage is scattered over a mile radius” in rough terrain, said Rudy Chavez, a state police dispatcher.
“Ruben Leal, public affairs specialist at Kirtland, said the airplane was on a routine training mission. The crew was performing low-level navigation exercises, Pearce added. Joe Sanchez, a ranch hand from Magdalena, said he saw the crash from about 10 miles away. “I was checking heifers that were having some calves. At the time I was looking at a cow out there and I looked up and saw it,” he said. “We saw a big ball of smoke, then another one, then a big ball of fire,” he said. “It was a big old explosion — like a forest fire.” He said he met sheriff’s officers on the way to the crash site and went to the scene in an isolated area known as Bear Mountain. “The wreckage was “spread in little canyons and little hills . . . and little trees,” Sanchez said. “It looks like a lot of burned parts on the ground, broken parts. It’s a mess,” he said. Sanchez said he saw what appeared to be a wing in one of the small canyons.
“A state police helicopter, a military aircraft and a helicopter ambulance from Albuquerque were sent to the scene, said Sgt. John McAninch of the state police in Socorro. Authorities in a four-wheel-drive vehicle also were at the crash site, Chavez said. [A]…spokesman for University of New Mexico Hospital, said the hospital’s helicopter ambulance, which was dispatched to the scene, “did not come back with anybody.”
“The HC-130, a four-engine turbo-prop, is a search and rescue version of the C-130 cargo plane….” (Roswell Daily Record (NM). “11 Die in AF Crash,” April 3, 1986, p. 1.)
Sources
Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. United States Air Force, Lockheed HC-130P Hercules, 1986, Apr 2, Magdalena, NM, Accessed 3-2-2012 at:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19860402-0
Baugher, Joseph F. 1966 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision. Accessed 2-28-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1966.html
Planecrashinfo.com. “1986. Accident Details. USAF…Near Magdalena, NM, 4-2-1986.” Accessed at: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1986/1986-18.htm
Roswell Daily Record, NM. “11 Die in AF Crash,” 4-3-1986, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=157455027
[1] Incorrect – was April 2.