McClellan AFB - McClellan AFB

On October 29, 2009 at 07:09 PM, McClellan AFB - McClellan AFB experienced a crash involving Lockheed C-130 Hercules, operated by United States Coast Guard - USCG, with the event recorded near San Clemente Island NAS California.

The flight was categorized as survey / patrol / reconnaissance and the reported phase was flight at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

7 people were known to be on board, 7 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 7, crew fatalities: 7, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. While performing a SAR mission for a 12 foot boat that was missing since two days, the aircraft collided with a Bell AH-1 Suber Cobra operated by the US Marine Corps. Both machines crashed into the sea some 24 km off the San Clemente Island and all occupants were missing. SAR were abandoned on 01NOV2013 as no trace of the Hercules and the Cobra were found. It appears that the Cobra's crew was taking part of an exercise in an area reserved for training missions. At the time of the accident, the Cobra had its anticollision lights and IFF transponder switched off.

Aircraft reference details include registration 1705, MSN 4993, year of manufacture 1984.