C5 Galaxy Crash!

[stateofbeasley]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/03/c5.crash/index.html

:Q

At least there were no fatalities among the 17 crew. It's kinda sad to see the C5 smashed on the ground though, with all its guts and cargo spilled all over 🙁

 

[techs]

The C-5 begs the question:
Was it a success or a failure?
As originally built the wings, to save weight, were far too fragile. For years the C-5 was only allowed to carry 25 percent of its max load.
Yet, after billions were spent re-winging it the performance has been excellent.
If you include the re-winging in the cost of the planes they were amazingly expensive. Without the re-winging they were rather economical.

 

[fornax]

I was amazed when I saw the photos of this huge thing broken apart and yet all survived. These guys were very lucky (well, those who were not injured heavily).

 

[Hurricane Andrew]

I live about 15 miles south of the base, and right in one of the main landing patterns. I see these massive birds fly overhead several times daily. The Wednesday before the crash, I was about 500 yards from the crash site. The John Dickinson Plantation is about 500 yards SSW of the crash, and I was there with my daughter's 2nd grade class on a field trip. My father is retired AF and volunteers at the base. He worked the day of the crash, and I was on the phone with him for a good half-hour that night getting the lowdown. The pilot's daughter was in my older daughter's pre-school class a few years ago. Very nice family, and obviously well trained to put that bird down in a field, with wings level, loaded down with fuel, without a fire, and with all 17 surviving.

It's surreal driving by the site. Simply amazing.

 

[Genx87]

Hmm little to no fire and a flamed out engine, me thinks somebody forgot to fill her up!