Passerby Captures Insane Plane Crash | Last Moments

[@Qxir]

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[@LK-pc4sq]

In 1986 I was still living in Western Washington as a civilian watching the news of a c-130 crashing into the mountains of Albuquerque. October, I went into USAF basic Training for 1.5 month, then 4.5 months in Texas for my training as a helicopter mechanic. I got my duty assignment to be stationed at Kirtland AFB. I then drove from Tacoma to Albuquerque. I stayed the weekend at the base hotel. Then that Monday, I was asked to show up at the dorm managers office. He took me to my dorm, then showed me a room where a airman was on a C-130 and died in the mountains of Albuquerque! Talking about wow moment. BTW the crash was reported to be the wing bolts snapped caused the winds to fold!

[@morganren2977]

5 minute monologue for a 4 second clip. Learn how to make a video!

[@fordson51]

This accident actually had a much larger effect on fire aviation than people realize. This incident along with two others that year grounded most of the fire fighting fleet until full structural assessments were made. It also lead to legislation that grounded or retired hundreds of aircraft due to age and fatigue, many dating back to the Second World War. Aviation Magazine had a story about it years ago.

[@bluenadas]

All civil C130s were grounded after this

[@rescue270]

I wouldn't say many dated back to WWII but there were a few. Hawkins and Powers operated five Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateers that were single-tailed stretched Navy versions of B-24 Liberators. These were probably the last actual WWII aircraft still being operated in firefighting service. One of these also crashed in 2002 when a wing came off while fighting a fire near Estes Park. CO. I have been told that a manufacturing flaw in the carrythrough spar had led to cracking that was hidden by the retardent tanks and had gone undetected. Three of the remaining four have been sold to collections and are still flying or are undergoing restoration. I'm told one is still parked at the former Hawkins and Powers facility in Greybull WY. The two C130As and the PB4Y-2 that crashed due to structural failures were or had at one time been owned and operated by Hawkins and Powers Aviation. Their maintenance and inspection programs came under intense scrutiny from all directions after this and they closed down shortly thereafter.

[@luciaconn6788]

it went from any piece of junk that got off the ground ... to ground all planes

[@OfficialSamuelC]

@The Guy Bro Dumb comment.

[@steveperreira5850]

The real tragedy is that this accident happened at all. How on earth does an aircraft 60 years old that is supposed to have a wing root upgrade, but doesn’t, how does it get approved for high maneuver, High g-load action. The truth is, most humans are careless, and I emphasize the word careless, which means “they couldn’t care less“ about the lives of others as long as they can pocket more cash. Humans are horrible creatures unless they are the rare few That are conscientious and enlightenment. Very very few

[@soflbchboi]

R.I.P. Steve Wass, Craig Labare & Mike Davis. Three Heros who died protecting the community they loved.

[@felixcat9318]

Beautifully said.

[@Dan-nt2yb]

Pilot Wass was from Nevada and the fire was in California. So…what do you mean exactly?

[@felixcat9318]

@@Dan-nt2yb It's pretty clear that the OP meant that the Crew cared greatly for the communities they protected! The Crew risked their lives to protect the community, and as has been said, what greater love is there than to defend something with one's life! Water Bombing Forest Fires is a high risk occupation, and the last thing the Crew could have expected was that their aircraft would experience such a catastrophic, un-survivable failure! The Accident Report makes grim reading, that aircraft should have had its Airworthy Certificate withdrawn long ago...

[@youknowihaduwuittoem]

I am a current C-130 maintainer for the U.S. Air Force. When I was in technical training, one of my instructors showed us this video in class while we were on the subject of the aircraft structure. When the plane suddenly released its load, the jolt of having such a large weight removed caused the fatigued wing attach bolts to fail. When this incident occurred, it triggered an order to ground every C-130 in service to figure out what had gone wrong and to prevent it from happening to planes in active service. Today, we have a mandatory regular time inspection and change of the wing attach bolts that failed here, as these were not being inspected during major inspections prior to this crash.

[@sophierobinson2738]

Tell us how many bolts, and how big they are, holding those wings on. I worked PDM on Army KC-135s, the empennage. I have one of the bolts that was replaced from the right horizontal, as a paperweight.

[@DarkKnightBusa]

X2 on the bolts....?

[@dazzab111]

X3?

[@okedoke1234]

@@sophierobinson2738 Uhhhh...."Army" KC-135s? I work at Tinker. Have never seen an Army -135.

[@sophierobinson2738]

@@okedoke1234 Army Air Force. General came by for our Thanksgiving lunch and said good things about the KC-135 the year before Boeing screwed us out of the PDM contract. They could afford to wine and dine and offer "escorts". We couldn't.

[@sooz9433]

This was a really well constructed video. You were concise and to the point without unnecessary drama and I felt it was a very good tribute to the brave men who lost their lives in this crash. Thank you.

[@crazywildegg54]

Real

[@JamesChampine-z5p]

Not really at the start of the film he was wrong about who owned that C130

[@64_Falcon]

As a pilot this is legitimately one of my worst fears…. Rest In Peace to those brave pilots/ firefighters

[@adulthumanfemale8666]

But planes are regularly maintained and checked for metal fatigue and structural damage. So what are you actually worried about?

[@Milesco]

@@adulthumanfemale8666 Uh.... *_this?_*

[@crazymeteorites3653]

For real how tf did he get a license my god

[@crazymeteorites3653]

@@adulthumanfemale8666 doesn’t matter if your flying crazy like he seemed to be.

[@Milesco]

@@crazymeteorites3653 What are you talking about?

[@kiki1573]

I remember this. This story is a little strange because it didn't really get much coverage it should have gotten. Plane crashes happen all the time, but BOTH WINGS falling off is a first. A lot of people thought it was a cover-up or something fishy was going on because of the lack of media coverage behind this terrible, freak accident. RIP to the men that lost their lives because of this🙏🏾

[@cvp5882]

Unfortunately, losing even one wing would have the same effect. Wass even brought up the point that is very evident from this video: being that low to the ground makes that operation so much more dangerous. There is no time to correct the issue, react, eject, or brace for impact. It's really sad that the issue may not have been apparent to these late brave pilots, but Lockheed did recommend the replacement of the failed component. I can't imagine dropping thousands of gallons of water and chemicals over and over again is very kind to an aircraft's structure. I doubt that it was a cover-up, but a careful investigation that had potentially devastating consequences to the parties held liable. Misinformation can lead to further disaster and angry mobs pointing fingers in search of justice.

[@None-zc5vg]

If there's a failure of the structure of one wing, causing loss of lift, there's a good chance that this will immediately stress-out the other wing, causing it to fail almost simultaneously. See the accounts of the British D.H.110 in-flight break-up at Farnborough airfield in 1952.

[@troyb.4101]

Not a freak accident at all, it is an inspection item to inspect the center wing box. It is a very expense inspection item, my guess is they did not do it.

[@TheGodParticle]

I'm in England and I remember it on our mainstream news

[@Tom_Hadler]

​@@None-zc5vg Not so, as it will mostly likely simply cause rotation (roll) as that is "easier" than snapping the other wing. Although if overstress from pitching up caused one to come off, it could be the other detaches at about the same time

[@lulhighman3428]

Imagine your buddy takes you out for a plane ride and while you're up there he just goes "Yeah, it's 45 years old. Almost none of the other ones they made can fly anymore."

[@Ibrahimarm]

Most airplanes are at minimum 20 years old lol Planes don't get thrown away every couple years like cars with how expensive new ones are & they also get much older (probably due to stringent maintenance requirements). Someone can regularly fly a 60-year old plane cheaper than a new one depending on the model.

[@John.McMillan]

@@Ibrahimarm Yes, but a work load plane like this is under tremendous ammounts of stress very regularly, after 60 years that would, as shown here, result in structural weak points that can easily result in catastrophic failure.

[@Ibrahimarm]

@@John.McMillan That's probably the reason you mostly see extremely old planes in the civilian world, since they get subjected to much less stress & use compared to commercial/military applications.

[@John.McMillan]

@@Ibrahimarm Exactly. If I recall correctly normally older work planes and some military aircraft (like the C-130) if they are still air worthy after a certain ammount of time they are "retired" and sold off to civilians or just auctioned off.

[@geovani60624]

@@Ibrahimarm yes but they still have a certain ammount if flights before being put to rest because of the stress of compressing and decompressing it

[@waltershumate5777]

No escape. Rest in peace, Brave firefighters. Prayers to the familys. That's the highest price paid for courage....🌟🛩

[@lknanml]

I was in Army Aviation for 12 years. If you ever see a UH-60 dropping water on CA fires that would be us. It's pretty unreal how crazy the updrafts feel flying over such heat in hills that funnel the air all around even when there is no fire. You can see the rotor disc flexing up and down A LOT more. Buffeting really tests those anti-air sickness skills. This event was about 7 years before my time but the incident didn't just fade into history. Maintenance is a side few people see. For every hour of flight you are looking at three hours of maintenance as some parts time out before replacement and others depend on inspections. Those inspections were taken more seriously after events like these. We had a few issues over the years and even had a heli or two that was forced to land and land fast then have to be trucked out for repairs before it could fly again. These guys were pros right up to the end.

[@MakeItWithCalvin]

I have been in a light Cessna at least 500'+ over the hills in the Palo Alto area and the airplane was bouncing all over, I can only imagine what it is like much lower to the ground. You also throw in the weather a fire creates and it must be almost impossible to hold a line. Mad respect for doing those flights.

[@charlessaint7926]

I talked to a B-29 crewmember from World War II. When firebombing Japan, the intense heat caused by the burning cities would lift their Superfortress to a higher altitude, and they had started out at 10,000 feet!

[@bryanmcleod9346]

Salute for your Service and Sacrifice!!

[@v12dot]

And now you ride a duke …keeping the excitement going ….top man 🤟🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@tombstone4986]

Uh60? Blackhawks? Dumping water? Huh?

[@conservat1vepatr1ot]

My mom was a fire chief during this time in CA (she’s retried now, but still a badass) and was providing mutual aid along with several other county’s near her dept. This was a really scary time for everyone, especially the guys in the air.

[@stopmotionharry8989]

Cringe username

[@billiamc1969]

And I bet your Dad was an astronaut who walked on Mars???

[@stopmotionharry8989]

@@billiamc1969 sorry for my deleted comment I thought you were replying to me

[@trogo3402]

@@billiamc1969 no that was mine

[@conservat1vepatr1ot]

@@billiamc1969 I bet you’ve led a boring life surrounded by other mediocre people :).

[@Hey_MikeZeroEcho22P]

It's been 20 years............ and I Still remember that scene........ it was So Awful, and not just this plane but another That Same month, if I recall.🔥 Those fire fighting A/C, their crews in the air And on the ground, I hold SO Much Respect for them. You do your best, you want to do More, some would like to fight at night, but YOU ARE MY HEROES!!! Steve Wass, Craig Labare, & Mike Davis......Thank You, R.I.P. ..... from a GREATFUL Californian.💔

[@NorwayVFX]

That is for sure the weirdest plane crash I have ever seen, and I'm surprised I haven't seen or heard of it until now.

[@allangibson2408]

And then there is the C-130 that went down out of Canberra in Australia… Tanker 134.

[@HubertofLiege]

Big fire is keeping it quiet

[@oneblach]

I remember watching it on the news. It was shocking to me. Somehow media quickly forgot about it. I never did.

[@APersonOnYouTubeX]

@@oneblach somehow huh?

[@ItsMe-kf1mj]

Multi million companies like Lockheed doesn’t need the negative attention all over the t.v so it’s kept hush. But all this useless false nonsense called news and oh look at me and hit the like button is all over the fucking place it’s such a pity.

[@davescott2485]

Thanks for this video. I've seen this clip in many other posts but you took the time to give the history behind the accident aircraft and the cause. Appreciate the info. Well done!

[@SvdSinner]

The load-bearing spar design used by planes of that era is susceptible to that type of failure if one or more of the lower tendons in the wing box snaps. Those lower tendons take enormous tension loads. If they fail in the center section, nothing structural is left to prevent both wings from folding up and falling off. This is exactly how planes that significantly exceed their do-not-exceed G-force limit fall apart. It leaves me to imagine whether the fatigue was caused by age, or if during its secret time with the CIA it was involved in action-movie-type maneuvers that caused the fatigue. The former is more likely, but the latter is much more entertaining to envision.

[@skussy69]

I like your style

[@rangerjones5531]

There are no young or new C-130’s and it’s not common for wing spar failures. There isn’t any pilots older than the C-130’s they’re flying. They are great planes

[@drjizzmopper1989]

The CIA time had pushed the ol girl way beyond her hours.

[@justadildeau]

Hate it when the box snaps. 😤

[@Walter_E_Kurtz]

I was about to write a comment about the wing separation risk of older C-130's, and the reason the government makes them surplus, but you said it way better than I could have.

[@knowur10sand18s]

Usually see your videos when they release, I'm suprised this one passed me by. I've worked for the USFS since 2007, this is still talked about today. Never heard anyone talk about the planes actual history before. Very eye opening. We typically just call these planes V-LATS (Very large air tanker)

[@butterlord-nq3ei]

I remember seeing this on KZbin when I was a kid back then I didn’t think about anyone in the plane but now that I’m older I can’t imagine how scary it must have been inside the plane

[@thecommunistdoggo1008]

You wouldn't be scared for long before you'd be dead. Couple of seconds isn't too bad

[@DarkGT]

@Emotional D Spammer!

[@edwinhuang9244]

@@DarkGT Report the bot. It's the most we can do since YT decided the bot problem wasn't something they wanted to deal with.

[@arkzbh]

@@edwinhuang9244 I have reported this same bot more than a 100 times in last week alone. YT never replied

[@edwinhuang9244]

@@arkzbh I would say report the channel where the video is sent to, but that is going to quickly turn into a disaster in the future. So I guess we need more people to report bots to get rid of them. However this will not be a good permanent solution.

[@debbybolen]

just absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. prayers for comfort, healing, and peace for their family and friends. RIP.

[@janofb]

What's sad is even though Lockheed recommended replacing the center box, the FAA didn't make it an Airworthiness Directive requiring it until after this accident. On 9/26/2002 they issued AD 2002-19-14 (which cites this accident) and later in the decade legislation was passed to provide funding to do the work on C-130s being transferred from the coast guard to fire fighting.

[@guywholikesplanes]

Was it just a recommendation, or a SB? It being a Service Bulletin would put some responsibillity on the plane's operator.

[@jjcoola998]

Yeah it’s like when there’s a dangerous intersection, and nothing changes until a few kids are killed on their bikes or whatever

[@insanospaz]

I know we all like to skirt costs on what is "airworthy", but you'd think the govt would have thrown money at it initially to not have the damn wings fall off

[@Chuck_Carolina]

Military planes don't operate inside FAA AD's; and I can not see the AF forgetting to mention that the center wing spar box had not been replaced on this A-model when they sold it (if it was not Granted away). I do not know if this aircraft was owned and operated by US Forestry, I doubt it, they normally contract that stuff out; however, flying under Government Contracts gets you out from under the FAA's oversight - like its CIA use which is just Contract work for the Fed's. I grew-up with a gent who was contracted to work on this stuff and it was mystery as to where all this old stuff came from, let alone who claimed ownership - and that included the pieces and parts to keep them flying too.

[@knuteknoll6747]

“Rules are written in blood”

[@davebergin342]

I was with this crew in the weeks before in Tallahassee working Florida fires and on some down time got a walk through tour of the C-130 by the co-bubba who said he was going to get a check ride in the coming days. They went west and this tragic ordeal happened. My helicopter in the days following were working the Walker fire. I recall the retardant skid mark left by this accident enroute to the fire. I don’t recall if there was reckage I just remember a guy like me was stoked to be moving up and pursuing a dream of his. These years later I have immense respect for wildfire ground crews , dozer operators , who stand in front of the kind of risk. And fellow pilots, size up the terrain, conditions and your equipment to support the effort. My condolences to the crew and families.

[@gordonwybo898]

Thanks Q for handling the loss of these brave aircrew members with reverence and respect!!!

[@noidea2568]

I like that this channel can be a bit goofy in some videos, but in the "final moments" series it's done very seriousley and respectfully.

[@RjKME]

What? Is he gonna make jokes and be disrespectful? What your thanking him, is simply what a human should be doing when dealing with death…

[@KevinCaseyPhoto]

That background is not awesome.

[@Zerofightervi]

I remember seeing this crash on the news back in day. I lived under the flight path for RAF Lyneham for years which was the main base for the C130 until it's closure. It was really shocking to see such a familiar plane break apart so suddenly.

[@nogymrequired7534]

the fact that this was none of the crews fault makes it even more terrible. great video qxir , you're my favourite youtuber!

[@ianbrodrick7360]

it was the maintenance crews fault, I had to do a presentation on it, the maintenance crew didn't adhere to the new bulletin put out by Lockheed calling for x-ray scans on the planes where the wings bolt to the fuselage. reason for it is because that's a very common place for stress fractures and there's a lip that hides the mounting spot so visual checks are extremely hard and not very useful. had to read the full NTSB report on it.

[@bagel_deficient]

@@ianbrodrick7360 Would you be willing to share your presentation? I'd love to see it. If you do, make you sure you anonymize anything about yourself. :)

[@ianbrodrick7360]

@@bagel_deficient I wish I could but it was mostly bullet points and I provided most of the filler material.and sadly it wasn't recorded. If I still had it I'd definitely show you but it's gone now

[@bagel_deficient]

@@ianbrodrick7360 Darn. No worries. I'll look into it. Definitely an interesting (and tragic) incident.

[@Meowface.]

@@bagel_deficient lookup the full NTSB report It’s available to the public Every detail you’ll need will be in there Service bulletins are available online too

[@gregorywhite9095]

Nothing but respect for this video. Nothing but the facts and recognition of those who died.

[@zenrhees9083]

That planes history is incredible.

[@lsswappedcessna]

Makes it even more a shame it was destroyed. Antiques like it should be preserved, not just as museumpieces, they should receive proper maintenance and have any recall services the manufacturer recommends and continue to fly, too. Even if just at airshows and commemorative events, Like Fifi, one of only two airworthy B-29s alongside Doc.

[@lonemaus562]

@@lsswappedcessnaright ? I think of it as a work horse , it’s been in our service for 45 years the least they could do would be to make sure it was kept in good condition considering peoples life’s depend on it

[@ithinkurf]

I was a mechanic on the c130j for 3 years. the J model herc had about 200 special servicings with about 120 of those being Non Destructive Inspection of different areas of the wing box and rainbow fittings. I can assure you that the c130 wing box is one of the most studied structural items on any aircraft ever built.

[@katycookson2900]

I feel so bad for the people in that plane, imagine that happening, you're literally helpless and there's nothing you can do especially since there so close to the ground

[@justadildeau]

Quick death is the only upside

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

It's better that they were so close to the ground in this case since without wings there's nothing you can do and they fortunately didn't have much time to think about it whereas up high it would have been long and terrible.

[@rangerjones5531]

We all die, and this is a pretty cool way to go! Would you rather die in your sleep?

[@katycookson2900]

@@rangerjones5531 eh?! What?

[@theshermantanker7043]

When you lose both wings on your plane, no amount of altitude will save you, unless you're literally flying in space and orbiting the planet, where the effects of gravity aren't that much of a concern

[@paulp96275]

God bless those guys and their families 🇬🇧

[@erikvaid2560]

The use by the CIA would be incidental to the overall stress that was happening to the wing box area over decades. There's a reason the Air Force retired the A models and retrofitted a number of later models to strengthen that area of the plane. You really want to see stress on a C130 - do an assault landing in Bagram. You're not worried about the wings coming off, you're worried about the pilot not being able to pull out in time.

[@billybadass9031]

Yeah I've been there before. Just get some Plan B. Better safe than sorry.

[@insanomonkey]

@@billybadass9031 underrated comment, beat me to it 😂

[@SvdSinner]

I remember being taught to march to various cadences. One of them was "C130 in a high G turn!" "Wings snap off and watch it burn!"

[@erikvaid2560]

@@SvdSinner They were probably a Vietnam era soldier probably.. my first sergeant in West Germany used to call the same line. He watched a platoon die in Thailand when the wings of a C-130 had an 'unplanned detachment event'.

[@brandonhinrichs4393]

When you drop a load you're always worried about whether you can pull out in time

[@ronstanek2851]

So sad for these crew members to lose their lives, not any fault of their own. Hero’s indeed! Bless the families for their loss!

[@TheEDFLegacy]

I remember when this first happened. It was mind-boggling that this sort of thing could happen. I'm sure it also didn't help the firefighting situation either. 🥺

[@pastuh]

After that more fire appeared

[@Ben-ks5bm]

What’s so mind boggling??? Your clearly a democrat

[@jemez_mtn]

I had started my commercial flying career a couple years before this, and really wanted to get into flying fires. A former long-time tanker pilot friend gave me some advice... if you fly tankers, make sure it's something like the C-130, which is designed for dropping heavy loads in flight, since there had been wing-shed incidents in the past. Then this happened. To a C-130. As awesome as tanker flying must be, I knew I would always be worried about something like this, and decided I didn't want that kind of stress on every flight. Absolute mad respect for fire pilots everywhere. This is the most badass kind of flying possible.

[@Baltic9638]

Another plane crash that I find particularly terrifying is Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771. A recently fired employee (David Burke) smuggled a gun onboard, shot a passenger and both pilots, before taking the controls of the aircraft and diving at 670 knots (770 mph / 1,240 km/h) into the ground. The CVR recorded everything including normal interactions between the crew and the gunshots. One of the last recordings of the CVR is one of the pilots asking if there was a problem, to which Burke responded "I'm the problem" before shooting the pilots. Terrible all around.

[@Ro6entX]

I’ve past by that crash site few years ago and while I didn’t know it at the time but saw odd shape rock (or what I thought) but is actually memorial plaque of sort. I think the following year I saw that airing on air disasters so that is how I found out which flight it was since I was very young when it happened. One of these days I will try to stop by and take picture of it; I live couple hours away

[@TechnoBlogGuru]

Join Our channel for Plane crash Investigations : shorturl.at/bjkY6 If you like more Episodes Go to : shorturl.at/cmyZ2 Thanks

[@timmyy420]

Of all of the plane crash videos and accident reports that I've seen this one always stands out to me because of how suddenly and quickly it all unfolded.

[@JTA1961]

Unfolded... I see what you did there...

[@amonumenttoalallyoursins1207]

@@JTA1961 idk. Things most certainly got folded.

[@VanessaScrillions]

Ugh. That final video of the pilot is heart wrenching

[@Frosty_tha_Snowman]

I still strongly suggest doing a "Last Moments" episode on both 'the Grizzly Man' and on the '1997 North Hollywood Shootout' They're both perfect candidates for your series. Dark, violent, but also intriguing, and definitely extraordinary.

[@RomanumChristum]

He did the Hollywood shootout

[@Frosty_tha_Snowman]

@@RomanumChristum no he hasn't, he's done videos on other bank robberies and shootouts, but not that one in particular.

[@Frosty_tha_Snowman]

@Emotional D ah, yes, I desperately needed to learn how to make air fried potato wedges. What timing.

[@alfredpeasant5980]

Everyone does the north Hollywood shootout, get off the internet boomer

[@DRGPlarp]

@@Frosty_tha_Snowman probably should change your password incase its a phishing link

[@ricksosbee3913]

ive seen that vid dozens of times, horrific. hearing ur perspective moved me

[@JonOnFilm]

Always a great day when Qxir uploads. specially a “last moments” I’m always interested in the grim stuff, not enough people bring these things to light. Thanks 🙏

[@lukesurphlis4680]

This is the only KZbin channel that I can say I’m an OG watcher from before it got famous

[@CrackheadHuntersDopeDealer]

🤥

[@tihspidtherekciltilc5469]

The fact that someone just decided to get their camera, camera phones weren't everywhere then, and got such excellent footage is amazing in itself and hopefully was used as a training and engineering tool.

[@GazB85]

Camera phones that could record video didn’t exist back then.

[@timhinchcliffe5372]

My thoughts exactly... even if some dweeb had their camera phone there and then, you would only get 5 or so shakey frames of the actual plane, and 1000's of frames of the sky and the ground and lots of audio recording of emotional "omg, omg, omg..."

[@eadweard.]

@@GazB85 Tbf I had a Nokia 7650 in 2002 which could record video. It was shite though, granted, and wouldn't have looked anything like this footage.

[@eksboks148]

​@@GazB85what are you suggesting, plainly please

[@STV-H4H]

I think he’s suggesting the same thing I’m thinking. The odds that a guy just happened to film at the instant of the tragedy is pretty peculiar. Given that history of the years when the plane was, for lack of any other terminology, a ghost. Setting up video cameras wasn’t a simple thing like today. Granted VHS video cameras were widely available, they have terrible image quality at the consumer price point. This video is rather pristine. Why would the ‘company’ want this machine suddenly decommissioned? No answer will ever be known. Why document it? Again, that’s not an answer to be revealed. But at some point in time the first large scale importing of illicit goods had to have happened. The Iran contra and the story that was told about 20 years later was said to be the last time the ‘company’ (rogue individuals) was involved in this sort of shenanigans. It’s not inconceivable that this plane, while it was a ghost, had a very black bag type of service it was used for. Just speculation. That’s all I’m suggesting. Truth and fiction are both often so outlandish that they can’t really be considered true. Except everything has a very first time to occur.

[@griggs3d]

I worked Air Force C-130Es back in the early 2000s. After that incident, we had a fleet wide inspection. Despite the past wing box upgrade, many E's we're found to have the wing box cracks as well. As a matter of fact, I had to fly on one back to home station. Took almost 2 weeks to get her back due to speed and weather restrictions.

[@MyCatInABox]

I vividly remember seeing this on the news that night. The video of the accident WAS absolutely horrific...such a massive plane, just literally folding up right in front of you, and knowing there are 3 brave men aboard...

[@JBAutomotive794]

Your getting better and better at these videos brother, your commentary was spot on with this one. 🍻

[@MrRoblox1377]

I've never clicked so fast, was hoping you'd do this one!!!

[@hiddenguy67]

same

[@JoBar12006]

I assure you, shock didn't have time to set in, the crew was fully aware they were going down, especially the pilot, he knew he was flying a dead stick the moment he lost control and within a quick few moments, it was a terrifying last few moments of knowing you're about to die. At least their fate was quick and immediate, no suffering. RIP gentlemen, your service was appreciated.

[@markmantooth7693]

Thanks for another video. I always look forward to your stories and the way you put the Irish perspective on them.

[@sonofbattles]

Fantastic narration at the end. Your timing, impeccable. :chef’s kiss:

[@nokiot9]

The amount of stress these aged airframes are put under in these situations is INSANE. These pilots have the biggest balls of anyone who ever existed

[@None-zc5vg]

Some of these big planes were never designed for high-manoeuvrability situations, despite their military origins: you shouldn't throw a C-130 around like a Douglas B-26.

[@nokiot9]

@@None-zc5vg cargo and reconnaissance ONLY lol. You know- unless you stick some bofors 40mm and a howitzer in it 😂. Still though AC variants circle the target area pretty gently.

[@Phil8sheo]

That bird flew bravely for tens of thousands of hours and human error and neglect took it out of service for good, along with those 3 brave innocent lives. All of those hours in that planes history, I wonder how many of them were filmed? It is so wild that the exact moment was caught on film and how terrifying it was. Rest in peace.

[@mitchd949]

Human error and neglect? I disagree. It was flying well beyond its originally planned life. Metal fatigue finally won over budgetary decisions. No engineering or maintenance “neglect” whatsoever.

[@AlexandreG]

Jesus Christ, why is youtube full of poets like this? Kids, stop trying to sound deep and dramatic for youtube likes. "Bird flew bravely", "brave innocent lives". I swear ChatGPT would write something like this if I told him to be edgy about a plane crash video 😂

[@MercenaryBlackWaterz]

"inexplicably" not really, as someone who has been in plenty of wildfires, these airplanes are surplus from the airline industry with many hours under their wings (literally). When putting out fires they do really difficult maneuvers which stress the frame of the plane to the breaking limit as we see here...

[@bagel_deficient]

It's sad that these critically important missions must be carried out with old airframes due to cost.

[@justadildeau]

Like a big girl on your shoulders at a concert.

[@deanruthlessrecords]

Absolutely love your quick to the point crash vids. Thx.

[@MrArgus11111]

Sort of not surprising to me because those pilots have to beat the hell out of the airframes over and over. That is a very dangerous jpb.

[@cursedemperor9600]

My parents had a fight a few minutes ago, about money, and my brother just came here. He told me to go to my room, and im here just watching a great video

[@princetchalla2441]

Keep your head up kid, you’ll be able to move on from your current rough situation. I know I have.

[@citizenblue]

It gets better, hang in there buddy!

[@CAROLUSPRIMA]

Been there. This too shall pass.

[@rangerjones5531]

Are you a kid , or like 30 and still living with parents? 🇺🇸

[@SGTUSMCVET269]

I was in a similar sudden failure type crash 30 years ago and I can tell you only had an immediate thought: I am about to die… which I accepted then a wave of peace flooded my entire being and I felt something indescribable. I watched as the aircraft recovered to a survivable attitude and though it should have stopped short of rolling over. It was rough and sudden but then it just stopped right before it should have rolled over. I thank God Almighty that happened and credited Him for it. My back has never been the same but I am still here. ❤

[@thecommunistdoggo1008]

It always amazes me how old planes really are like the Boring 747 first flew in the 1960s

[@CarriedAwayChannel]

That is the most horrific thing I’ve seen! So tragic and right after he made those remarks about coming home each season. Very sad.

[@madixj]

I couldn't even imagine the terror they must have gone through when the plane made a scary noise out of nowhere and you plummet to the ground with zero control...

[@delmonicofarquhar9893]

So tragic. Bless these men.

[@fawnathefox9600]

It’s always a good day when Qxir makes a video!

[@markmiller897]

God bless and protect all firefighters and air crews. May these men rest in glory.

[@arkzbh]

One way it's good that the Pilots had no time to react. Loosing the wings of an aircraft at higher altitude would have just delayed the inevitable, and their pain.

[@ncg8259]

Well they might have had time to jump out with a parachute, wouldn't be the first time someone has jumped out of a C-130. Depends on if that hard roll the airframe took would have stabilized

[@amosonyoutube]

@@ncg8259 at the height. It look like they would’nt have enough time or height to jump and make it out. Still would give it a go if had one.

[@jackpeters2354]

I live in this small town. Wild to see a video made by such a big channel on our little town

[@mbryson2899]

Frack, as a Californian I remember this one quite clearly. Never knew that it had covertly served with the CIA, though. Our fire season seems like it's damned near overlapping for the past few years. I can't imagine pissing into the wind like our firefighters routinely do these days.

[@C0N1ST0N]

I'm glad he covered this, I remember seeing this footage quite a few times in "Air Crash Compilations" or something like that when I was younger, but always wondered why it happened...had a feeling it was down too too much stress and maybe fatigue of some sort with the aircraft...poor guys didn't see what hit them 😔 Good job as always, to the point and respectful - that's why I subscribed a long time ago! Keep it up mate 👍🏻

[@vaszgul736]

Strange to say, but that footage is hauntingly beautiful. Very tragic. RIP those on flight.

[@garzascreek]

6:02 - Particularly eerie was the interview with the brave pilot right before take off.

[@Highice007]

Always wondered about this crash. C-130's are well built aircraft. They use them to fly through hurricanes. Sad that a lack of refitting a vital piece lead to the death of three men, and the plane. Thanks for this vid.

[@davidjoe3368]

Very sad story and well done video. Condolences to the families that lost loved ones on the plane crash on this video.

[@kylek29]

I: This plane that was involved in the incident. B: Yeah, the one the wings fell off? I: Yeah. B: Yeah, that's not very typical I'd like to make that point. I: Well, how is it untypical? B: Well, there's a lot of these planes flying around the world at any time and very seldom does anything like this happen. I just don't want people thinking that these planes aren't safe. I: Was this plane safe? B; Well, I was thinking more about the other ones. I: The ones that are safe? B: Yeah, the ones the wings don't fall off. I: If this plane wasn't safe, why was it carrying tons of fire suppressant? B: I'm not saying this one wasn't safe, it's just perhaps not quite as safe as some of the other ones. I: Why? B: Well some of them are built so the wings don't fall off at all. I: Wasn't this built so the wings wouldn't fall off? B: Well obviously not. I: How do you know? B: Because the wings fell off.

[@Rose-ec6he]

I really like the last moments series. Could you please focus more on the individuals involved in these accidents. I personally find it makes it more interesting. Love your content. Thanks for considering

[@mouser485]

Ok, the fact there was a “big gap” in the records back in the 1960’s shouldn’t really matter. This aircraft has a civilian N number on it so is probably subjected to civilian aircraft maintenance schedules. Probably, even more inspections due to the type of work this C130 is doing. My aircraft has to have an inspection at least once a year. (Annual Inspection) All the panels are pulled off and, as with the wing, a camera is put in and the main spar is checked for any corrosion or possible stress cracks. All cables are checked, engine is gone over, etc, etc. This aircraft should have been subjected to a similar maintenance schedule and all wing spars, this planes wing might have 2 spars running through it, and ribs should have been part of that inspection. So, my question is, was the proper inspections done ? were they done on a regular basis? Those are the real questions. A gap in records from years ago shouldn’t matter as the operator of that aircraft should have known what kind of condition that spar(s) was in at the time of the accident. Unfortunately, they felt the spar was ok.

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

The CIA could have kept all records and there's no way to know what maintenance it underwent. I agree that the gap shouldn't be an issue since any inspection after that could have caught anything that needed to be done such as NDI to the wing box area to catch fatigue that isn't visible. I was an aircraft structural maintainer in the Air Force and am familiar with how maintenance works as well and there were alterations done on aircraft that no one who did the maintenance anyway signed off on anything (wire pass through's for classified electronic equipment on an F-16 that required removing material from wing substructure comes to mind) and if there wasn't any way for someone to know that specific non destructive inspection or any other inspection specific to that area should be done because it could lead to a failure point down the road then that can lead to a problem. Imagine the equipment is removed and the aircraft turned to civilian use with no one having knowledge that the wing substructure was altered. Whatever the CIA used that plane for could have lead to that failure but it probably should have had a wing box update to match the other planes that needed it and that sounds pretty simple to notice.

[@johneyon5257]

i agree - the plane was used many many years past the CIAs use of it - and the critical moment was in the 70s when the center wing box was not replaced by the Air Force - before it was sold

[@jeffmatson2046]

I enjoy the stories. Keep up the good works.💪

[@Dert26]

So in other words, the crash being caused by "circumstances" is just code word for, "improper repair and handling by the government and businesses that owned the plane." Lovely

[@ernestweaver9720]

Like always you do an outstanding job on the video in which you receive a thumbs up. And sadly you got it. A story where a tragedy is involved I don't hit the TU out of respect for the families involved. You got it anyway. My heart goes out to the families and all those involved. A mistake that I believe could and should have been avoided.

[@zackwalker684]

Just crazy to think that the government has trillions of dollars and says “yeah let’s keep using a 47 year old plane and not do heavy maintenance on it before we use it”

[@rangerjones5531]

The military does maintain the C-130 and that’s why they’re still a vital plane. I’ve personally flown on them many times in my 9 years in. But I have never landed in one.🇺🇸

[@None-zc5vg]

It's been said that about half of the squillions taken from taxpayers for military equipment go straight into the pockets of the shareholders and C.E.O.'s of the various manufacturers.

[@avalon1rae]

Steve was a excellent pilot and flying in very high winds and fire in the town of walker that day .He and his crew will never be forgotten for their sacrifice to save other's.

[@TheExplosiveGuy]

These are the type of accidents that save future lives, as unfortunate as it is it serves as a wake-up call for lifespan/flight hour maximums in aircraft. Especially in aircraft that undergo hundreds of flights carrying damn near their maximum weight capacity, measured in dozens of tons, of water or fire retardant that gets dumped in a matter of seconds during each flight, that's an awful lot of stress cycles on those wings. Thriftiness is necessary sometimes, but not when it comes to heavy lift aircraft...

[@judd_s5643]

Actually most aircraft are composed of changes that are a direct result of a death or injury. Cessna seat rail locks are a good example.

[@TheExplosiveGuy]

@@judd_s5643 Yep. Same with the automobile industry, it's a never-ending iterative process as people will always find new and exciting ways to make something fail lol.

[@MonitoSmith]

Gracias Diego Luna por compartir tu trabajo......Buen video amigo.

[@cofa4011]

Component fatigue is one of the most dangerous threat to waterbombers, droping tons of water in seconds is hard on the structure...

[@TheBibleDefenders]

Great work. Gutsy reporting. May you be blessed as well as the crew of that Plane and their families.

[@mattyjpati]

Imagine that, going to work on an aerial firefighting jet, completely oblivious that it'll be your last day... no goodbyes, no final arrangements, just the same as you did day in and day out... As far as you're concerned, you're already thinking about your plans for tomorrow, thinking it's only just around the corner.... And then suddenly it all goes in an instant. Tommorow is no longer "just around the corner". You have no idea what just happened until you reach the afterlife... And then imagine being the cameraman; you witness three people in a plane about to crash... you can't stop the plane from crashing... you can't prevent their deaths.... all you can do is just watch and record, witnessing three people's last few moments alive in this world, capturing their tragic and helpless transition from this world into the next... Powerful.

[@None-zc5vg]

The film of the 1994 Fairchild B-52 crash shows a cameraman standing recording the crash and explosion while apparently not moving or showing any (human) reaction to the terrible end of the plane and its crew.

[@felixjones9198]

It wouldn't surprise me if the CIA had installed a "wings fall off" button and forgotten to label it.

[@CoinsAZ]

Wow..........what incredible footage. R.I.P. to those who perished 😔

[@petermontoya1796]

The A models of the C-130's always had the center wing box problem. That's why the US Government got rid or phased them out. When you buy a used aircraft, it's on you to make sure that your new aircraft is air worthy. Which means inspections and researching into any and all modifications and replacement parts. Companies buy used aircraft everyday. Amazon buys huge cargo aircraft all the time. Those planes are 20 years old or older. They go through extensive renovations to make sure they're up to date. Whoever in this fire fighting company didn't do its due diligence. Now all that being said, that C-130 was grossly overweight !! It was filled beyond capacity with water and fire retardant. Once the pilot(s) start the dump, all that weight shifts the center of gravity. The aircraft will pull up. Depending on much weight is released, it could be 2 - 3 G'Ss of force. Then when the center wing structure is not strong enough, SNAP !! That's what happened.

[@alanwilson6367]

Good for you young fella great video as always. Thank you.

[@parz173]

When I was a kid i watched a small plane crash happen at the local airport, our baseball fields were near the local airport (this is in Norco, East vale, corona California area) i was there with my parents cause my older brother was playing and a small planes wing clipped a palm tree while landing, thing twirled to the ground. Folks went running over but my parents stopped me.

[@kvproductions2581]

You remember anything else? did the crew make it?

[@JorgenKreedz]

I believe you saw N5863Q that crashed close to Butterfield Park in Corona, CA back in 2015. "On December 14, 2015, about 1341 Pacific standard time, a Mooney M20E, N5863Q, experienced a partial loss of engine power during takeoff from the Corona Municipal airport (AJO), Corona, California. The pilot (sole occupant) was uninjured and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to, and operated by, the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destined for the Chino Airport (CNO), Chino, California. The pilot reported that this was the first flight after the airplane underwent a new paint application. After a thorough preflight, the pilot started the airplane and he observed the RPMs drop a little. He leaned the mixture slightly and the RPMs returned to normal idle speed. He taxied the airplane to the run-up area and conducted a run-up. As he increased the engine's RPMs to 1,800 for a magneto check, he observed a slight delay in the RPM increase, but otherwise all indications were normal. The pilot positioned the airplane onto the runway and added full power. He observed the RPMs increase slowly to 2,400 RPM. Halfway down the runway the airplane was not at lift off speed, however, the RPMs were above 2,400 RPM. The airplane reached 80 knots and lifted off the ground near the end of the runway; the airplane climbed slower than normal. The pilot leveled the airplane to gain airspeed, but he observed that the engine RPM dropped to 2,000 RPM. Expecting to conduct an emergency landing the pilot left the landing gear down and the fuel pump on, he also ensured the throttle and mixture were full rich. The RPMs decreased to 1,800 and at about 100 feet above the ground, the airplane started to descend into the trees at the end of the runway. The left wing impacted a tree top and the airplane descended abruptly into the ground below. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector and a mechanic did not reveal any anomalies. Flight control continuity was established, as well as, continuity to the throttle, mixture, and propeller controls. The fuel system was intact and fuel flowed freely through it. The valve covers were removed; the intake and exhaust valves sustained no abnormal wear signatures. The oil filter was removed and disassembled; no debris or contaminates were noted. The spark plugs were removed and displayed "normal" wear signatures when compared with the Champion "Check-a-plug" chart. The propeller was manually rotated and no binding or grinding was noted within the engine. Thumb compression was established on all cylinders. The magnetos were tested and fired normally. NTSB Probable Cause A partial loss of engine power during initial climb for reasons that could not be determined based on available information. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to conduct the takeoff with observed engine deficiencies."

[@parz173]

@@JorgenKreedz i believe it was before 2015 but yeah it was definitely butterflield park, the memory is pretty hazy though i was quite young. I know theres been more then one crash though, some of which were more documented then others. I was likely around 8 when it happened and i was born in 2004, im just tryna peice things together though. Ive looked around the airports wikipedia page before, i should probably ask my parents about it. I also remember my mom showing me a facebook post saying the pilots survived although injured.

[@parz173]

okay, looking at the incidents page it aligns most with the july 26th 2008 crash i might have been younger then expected. My childhood in general is pretty hazy until i hit the 4th grade, so im kind of generally going off landmarks in my head.

[@TheGhjgjgjgjgjg]

I seen a plane accident too. It was a cessna doing a small air show over a lake on Canada day around 2003-04. He came way to low and ended up dragging on the water,the plane dug in and crashed nose first. The pilot swam to shore, no one else was hurt either. He got incredibly lucky because he was VERY close to the spectators on the beach

[@BigSimpin420]

I remember when this happened. I always wondered what happened. This was a really good video! Thanks!

[@seanh7585]

America: where we fill our deserts with brand-new and never-to-be-used fighter jets, and scrape together hand-me-downs to fight forest fires.

[@rangerjones5531]

Google the reason for the plane bone yards.

[@gordonwaite2]

This is far from the first time that a wing(s) have detached from a C-130. In the 1970’s the wings were falling off left and right and was not determined that the wings were the problem in numerous crashes until it was actually observed by other C-130 crewmen while flying in formation with a C-130 that lost it’s wings. Such is the U.S. military!

[@polyfloralhoney]

I wouldn't want to fly in a "military grade" plane

[@mykolastrunce5457]

@@polyfloralhoney "military grade" planes kept flying with hulls blown open by cannon fire and came home with half of wings and tails ripped off, while "civilian grade" boeing's lose a single bolt or the software hiccups and 300 people are dead.

[@indridcold8433]

The monologue is slightly reminiscent of the style the great Rod Serling would have made. Rest in peace crew of Tanker 130.

[@ohaatageldi]

The tale of the cameraman continues

[@hiddenguy67]

He's op

[@olliegoria]

That mf everywhere

[@charlessedlacek5754]

That really sucks. Brave men doing their best and winding up getting killed. R.I.P.

[@friddevonfrankenstein]

Steve Wass --- Craig Labare --- Mike Davis Rest in peace you absolute fucking legends 🙏

[@rodolfoayalajr.8589]

We will never forget. Rip Amen 🙏. Great video friend.

[@thecommunistdoggo1008]

What tremendous fortune for the camera man

[@hiddenguy67]

Yes

[@Lvl22Cowboy]

I dont think seeing someone die is a fortune

[@thecommunistdoggo1008]

@@Lvl22Cowboy It is for the camera man, lots of money to be made selling the footage to news companies and documentaries, afterall money is the ultimate source of joy

[@ixian_technocrat]

@@thecommunistdoggo1008 Spoken like a true communist doggo !

[@thecommunistdoggo1008]

@@ixian_technocrat Yes

[@stephencummins7589]

Best simple to the point well researched report.

[@Treblaine]

Releasing an Air-Force aircraft for some black bag operation is one thing... but then taking it back after it was used for who-knows-what is a big no-no. There is a cost to secrecy, and that cost is you can't really used that plane for much else as you can never really be sure what happened to it.

[@HubertofLiege]

Flying cocaine into Clinton’s Arkansas

[@bigsidable]

These guys are so brave and good at their job. I live by Sonoma County Airport. Been hearing them a lot lately. It fire season.

[@anim8torfiddler871]

Thank you for the background research and report. I was married to a California Firefighter, but she was always on the ground. Still this happened while she was still working. The Crash could have hurt firefighters on the ground, in addition to the crew. I don't suppose the parties responsible for the GAP in VITAL MAINTENANCE records will ever be identified.