XV298

On June 11, 1999 at 12:00 AM, XV298 experienced a crash involving Lockheed C-130 Hercules, operated by Royal Air Force - RAF, with the event recorded near Kukës Kukës.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

15 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 15 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 6, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 9, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. On the night of 11 June 1999, RAF Hercules XV298 was tasked to collect personnel and equipment from Kukes airstrip, Albania. The aircraft flew from Italy and landed on the unlit airstrip using normal Night Vision Goggle (NVG) procedures. The crew had been briefed that there would be sufficient runway remaining from the pickup point to the end of the airstrip. The crew were unable to see the end of the airstrip as artificial lighting in the near distance interfered with their night vision goggles. After loading personnel and equipment it began its takeoff run along the remaining available runway, but soon hit a fence and several other ground obstacles. XV298 slowed then veered to the right, suffering severe damage to its right wing before stopping. Fuel leakage from the damaged wing ignited and the subsequent fire destroyed much of the aircraft.

Aircraft reference details include registration XV298, MSN 4264, year of manufacture 1968.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 42.0769°, 20.4163°.