Rhino
03-09-2001, 05:42 AM
BEST45CAL
Forum Host Beastie
posts: 324
(3/4/01 4:14:34 am)
| Del All
Military Plane Crashes in Georgia
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A National Guard aircraft en route from Florida to Virginia crashed in a field in central Georgia Saturday, killing all 21 people aboard.
The propeller-driven twin-engine C-23 Sherpa was carrying a crew of three and 18 passengers, all of whom were members of the military, said Staff Sgt. Mary Jones, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Military Affairs. It was on an official mission when it went down at about 11 a.m. ET, according to Judy Smith, a spokeswoman for Robins Air Force Base, which had been tracking the flight.
Everyone on board died when the plane crashed in a field near Unadilla, about 30 miles south of Macon, said Dooley County Sheriff Van Peavy.
"It did not hit anything," he said. "We had about three, four eyewitnesses saw it glide down. ... They describe the plane as dropping down and they watched it get lower and lower, then heard the crash when it hit the ground."
Though the cause of the disaster is unknown, bad weather in the area might have contributed to the wreck. Van Peavy said it was raining heavily at the time of the crash.
The aircraft was assigned to the Florida National Guard's 171st Aviation Batallion based in Lakeland, Fla. It took off from Hurlbert Field near Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and was heading to Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia.
Dennis Posey, a farmer who lives about a half mile from the field, said he jumped into his pickup and went to the crash site when he heard a loud thud. The plane exploded only moments after it landed, Posey said.
"There was no way" anyone survived, Posey said. "As soon as I seen that plane, I knew nobody could come out of that."
Posey said his father, D.E. Posey, was one of the first people to arrive at the site and saw several pieces fall off the plane as it descended.
"There was a wing off it and a part of the tail section," he said. "Matter of fact, a wing, probably 20 feet of it, was on a piece of my farm."
Mike Bryant, who also lives nearby, said he was in his yard when he heard the plane pass overhead.
"I could tell the plane was in trouble," said Bryant, who is not related to John Bryant Sr. "I turned around and I saw it just fall to the ground. It exploded. It wasn't on fire until it hit the ground. Then it exploded and burst into flames."
The fire was put out shortly after, Birdsong said.
Officials have not determined the cause of the crash. Heavy rains and winds swept the area throughout Friday night and Saturday as part of a huge storm system moving across the South.
Late Saturday, families of the 18 Virginia-based victims — all members of the 203rd Red Horse Unit of the National Guard — gathered at Camp Pendleton State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach.
The C-23 Sherpa aircraft can carry up to 30 passengers and provides troop and equipment transport, airdrop and medical evacuation.
"Wise men learn more from fools than fools learn from the wise."
Forum Host Beastie
posts: 324
(3/4/01 4:14:34 am)
| Del All
Military Plane Crashes in Georgia
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A National Guard aircraft en route from Florida to Virginia crashed in a field in central Georgia Saturday, killing all 21 people aboard.
The propeller-driven twin-engine C-23 Sherpa was carrying a crew of three and 18 passengers, all of whom were members of the military, said Staff Sgt. Mary Jones, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Military Affairs. It was on an official mission when it went down at about 11 a.m. ET, according to Judy Smith, a spokeswoman for Robins Air Force Base, which had been tracking the flight.
Everyone on board died when the plane crashed in a field near Unadilla, about 30 miles south of Macon, said Dooley County Sheriff Van Peavy.
"It did not hit anything," he said. "We had about three, four eyewitnesses saw it glide down. ... They describe the plane as dropping down and they watched it get lower and lower, then heard the crash when it hit the ground."
Though the cause of the disaster is unknown, bad weather in the area might have contributed to the wreck. Van Peavy said it was raining heavily at the time of the crash.
The aircraft was assigned to the Florida National Guard's 171st Aviation Batallion based in Lakeland, Fla. It took off from Hurlbert Field near Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and was heading to Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia.
Dennis Posey, a farmer who lives about a half mile from the field, said he jumped into his pickup and went to the crash site when he heard a loud thud. The plane exploded only moments after it landed, Posey said.
"There was no way" anyone survived, Posey said. "As soon as I seen that plane, I knew nobody could come out of that."
Posey said his father, D.E. Posey, was one of the first people to arrive at the site and saw several pieces fall off the plane as it descended.
"There was a wing off it and a part of the tail section," he said. "Matter of fact, a wing, probably 20 feet of it, was on a piece of my farm."
Mike Bryant, who also lives nearby, said he was in his yard when he heard the plane pass overhead.
"I could tell the plane was in trouble," said Bryant, who is not related to John Bryant Sr. "I turned around and I saw it just fall to the ground. It exploded. It wasn't on fire until it hit the ground. Then it exploded and burst into flames."
The fire was put out shortly after, Birdsong said.
Officials have not determined the cause of the crash. Heavy rains and winds swept the area throughout Friday night and Saturday as part of a huge storm system moving across the South.
Late Saturday, families of the 18 Virginia-based victims — all members of the 203rd Red Horse Unit of the National Guard — gathered at Camp Pendleton State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach.
The C-23 Sherpa aircraft can carry up to 30 passengers and provides troop and equipment transport, airdrop and medical evacuation.
"Wise men learn more from fools than fools learn from the wise."