Cherry Point - El Centro

On July 10, 2017 at 03:49 PM, Cherry Point - El Centro experienced a crash involving Lockheed C-130 Hercules, operated by United States Marine Corps, with the event recorded near Itta Bena Mississippi.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

16 people were known to be on board, 16 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 8, crew fatalities: 8, passengers on board: 8, passenger fatalities: 8, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. The aircraft departed MCAS Cherry Point-Cunningham Field in the early afternoon on a personnel transfer mission to El Centro NAS, California. En route, while cruising at an altitude of 20,000 feet, the n°4 blade on the engine n°2 detached, struck the left side of the fuselage, penetrated the cabin, then the right side of the fuselage and eventually impacted the right stabilizer that detached. The aircraft suffered a catastrophic structural failure, causing the cockpit to separate and detach. The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a soybean field located 11 km southwest of Itta Bena. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 16 occupants were killed. Crew: Maj Caine M. Goyette, pilot, Cpt Sean E . Elliott, copilot, S/Sgt Joshua Snowden, flight engineer, Sgt Owen J . Lennon, flight engineer. G/Sgt Mark A. Hopkins, gunnery G/Sgt Brendan C . Johnson, gunnery Sgt Julian M. Kevianne, crewmaster, L/Cpl Daniel I. Baldassare, crewmaster. Passengers: Cpl Collin J. Schaaff S/Sgt William J. Kundrat, S/Sgt Robert H. Cox, S/Sgt Talon R. Leach, Sgt Chad E . Jenson, Sgt Joseph J . Murray, Sgt Dietrich A. Schmiernan, PO Ryan Lohrey.

Aircraft reference details include registration 165000, MSN 5303, year of manufacture 1992.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 33.4951°, -90.3229°.