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Italian C-130 Crashes


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Italian C-130 crashes, 5 dead

The Associated Press

Posted : Monday Nov 23, 2009 17:00:30 EST

ROME — An Italian air force transport plane crashed onto train tracks near a military airport in the Tuscan city of Pisa on Monday and burst into flames, killing its five-member crew, officials said.

Air force Col. Mauro Gabetta said the C-130 was on a training flight and was approaching the airport when it suddenly veered away and then crashed. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Pisa fire department said the plane crashed onto railway tracks, setting afire electrical wires. No train was in the area at the time.

Source: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/11/airforce_c130_crash_112309w/

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Five die in Italian C-130 crash

Published: Nov. 23, 2009 at 3:05 PM

PISA, Italy, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Five people aboard an Italian C-130 military transport plane died after it crashed Monday in Pisa, military sources said.

Quoting unnamed Italian Air Force sources, the ANSA news agency reported that the plane, part of the 46th Air Force Brigade, crashed at 2:10 p.m. shortly after takeoff during a training exercise in Pisa.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane spin out of control before it crashed in flames.

The plane came down just outside the airport area and onto the tracks of the local rail line, Pisa Mayor Marco Filippeschi told the news service.

Military sources told ANSA that Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa was being briefed on the accident.

Early reports didn't indicate a cause of the crash.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2009/11/23/Five-die-in-Italian-C-130-crash/UPI-72691259006744/

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PISA, Italy, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Five people aboard an Italian C-130 military transport plane died after it crashed Monday in Pisa, military sources said.

Quoting unnamed Italian Air Force sources, the ANSA news agency reported that the plane, part of the 46th Air Force Brigade, crashed at 2:10 p.m. shortly after takeoff during a training exercise in Pisa.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing the plane spin out of control before it crashed in flames.

The plane came down just outside the airport area and onto the tracks of the local rail line, Pisa Mayor Marco Filippeschi told the news service.

Military sources told ANSA that Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa was being briefed on the accident.

Early reports didn't indicate a cause of the crash.

http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/five-die-in-italian-c130-crash

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AMI C130 crash

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Five killed as Italian C-130J transport crashes

A Lockheed Martin C-130J transport from the Italian air force’s 46th Air Brigade crashed immediately after taking off on a routine training flight from Pisa at around 14:10 local time on 23 November, killing the two pilots and three other personnel onboard.

Initial eyewitness reports were contradictory, with some saying the C-130J started to roll before diving, and others reporting to have seen a fire on board immediately after take-off.

Another source says an EasyJet Airbus A319 was circling Pisa airport while the C-130J climbed, with the Hercules having been seen to make a right turn before hitting the ground and catching fire. It crashed on a nearby railway line, with an oncoming train having managed to stop before reaching the point of impact. The aircraft’s wreckage was spread within an area with a radius of about 150m (490ft).

No further information has been made available. The Italian air force had a fleet of 22 C-130Js, including 10 stretched-fuselage -30s, prior to the accident.

DATE:23/11/09

Flightglobal.com

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Erwin

Source: http://forums.jetphotos.net/showthread.php?p=534501#post534501

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English translation from Corriere Della press

Military plane crashed in Pisa: 5 dead

They fell during a training flight. All the dead have been found. The aircraft ended up on the railroad.

PISA - An Air Force C130 crashed in Pisa. Five victims. "The plane took off at 14.10 and soon after it crashed," says the Air Force's press office. The incident took place in the Le Rene, near Coltano. The plane fell in part on the railway line Pisa-Collesalvetti-Cecina, on the Tyrrhenian secondary line. The remains of the plane were scattered in a radius of about 150 meters.

VICTIMS - The airplane crashed there were 5 soldiers whose bodies were found in the wreckage. They were all in service to the 46th Aviation Brigade of Pisa: As announced by the Air Force, the crew included Pilot Major Bruno Cavezzana, 40, Trieste, Pilot Lt. Gianluca Minichino, 28, of Naples, pilot Lt. Salvatore Bidello, 30, of Sorrento (Naples), Maurizio Ton of Marshall, 44, of Pisa and Maresciallo Gianluca Larch, 39, Mestre (Venezia).

THE DYNAMICS - The aircraft fell from a height that Air Force leaders speculate it may have been of 100-150 meters and after the first takeoff. Gen. Stefano Fort, commander of 46th Air Brigade explained that, contrary to what assumed at first, the incident did not happen during a touch and go maneuver. After getting up in the air the plane, turned to the left then descended to the right and crashed. Fort said he cannot speculate on the causes of the incident, explaining that the plane was exemplary in terms of maintenance and perfect in all its components. In command of the flight was the pilot Bruno Cavezzana but it is still unclear whether he was at the controls or one of the two students, Gianluca Minichino or Salvatore Bidello. Fort added that they are still in the progress of recovery of the bodies (which will be taken to the morgue at the air base) as well as the recovery of the two black boxes.

RAILWAY LINE (Ferroviaria) - The wreckage of the plane were scattered, as mentioned, partly on the Tyrrhenian railway line, but the train connections were not interrupted, however: the railway line, which terminates at the city's central station, has a "twin lines 'passing to the west, toward the sea, and arriving at stations north of Pisa remained disrupted for about an hour after the accident, but now is back in service. Ferroviaria informed that the rail traffic between the stations of Pisa and Livorno, is currently still disrupted after being completely suspended for about an hour, from 14:05 to 15.05. Currently all trains long and medium haul line Tirreno Roma - Genoa transit service and make the station of Pisa S. From there, travelers can get using the Pisa Central railway transport metropolitan.

CONDOLENCES – Condolences to the Air Force and the families of the victims was expressed by all political forces. The President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano, to hear of the tragic plane crash, sent a message to the Chief of the Defense Staff, General Vincenzo Camporini, asking him to voice at the Armed Forces and the families of the fallen of his "feelings of deep of affectionate sympathy and closeness. The Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi has expressed to the Minister of Defense Ignazio La Russa, his condolences. The chairmen of the Senate and House, Renato Schifani and Gianfranco Fini, has sent a message sent to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Daniele Tei. Similar condolences were expressed by all the senators of the PD and the PDL UDC secretary Lorenzo Cesa on behalf of his party.

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  • 4 years later...

Hello everyone. It is almost five years since this accident but up until now no-one will have heard this account. I was one of the last two people to see this crew alive just before they crashed, my FO colleague being the other. I was the captain of EasyJet service 5233 from EGKK to LIRP and we were completing sector 3 out of 4, having already been to Cologne-Bonn and back with an initial 0710Z departure from London. My logbook shows that our aircraft was G-EZDI, an Airbus 319, and that we left London for the second time at 1100Z, arriving on the apron at Pisa at 1310Z. There is a mention of an Easyjet circling (during the event) in some of the news reports, but this is not quite correct. What actually happened is that we were required to conduct a circling approach, with a left-hand pattern to land on RW22L and then back-track on the same runway due to roadworks on 22R/04L which ordinarily would have served as the taxiway. As we completed the circle to land and the subsequent backtrack manoeuvre, the C130 crew were waiting for us to clear the active before their departure - so the circling was actually completed before the Hercules began its flight. I still remember clearly acknowledging the crew as we approached their holding position, passing from their right to left, but of the subsequent events we had no knowledge until after parking on the remote stand to disembark passengers. I was still completing the techlog when the FO (his first day out after line training) came back into the cockpit to say, "Hey, there's just been a crash of a light aircraft" which, initially, I have to confess went in one ear and out of the other. Then a minute or so later, he came back a second time to inform me that, no, it wasn't a light aircraft but the same Hercules that we had just waved to during our taxy in. At this point I unfastened my harness and put the techlog down to have a look for myself and went back to the steps at door 1L to have a look. Looking back now almost five years later I can still feel the initial sense of utter disbelief - a strange and ridiculous instinct - but it was with complete and utter disbelief that I witnessed what I did because it was just like looking at one of dozens of aircrash sequences I have seen on TV (e.g. United 232) - there was the pall of smoke, then the flash of another ignition, then another and yet more smoke, blacker and then, finally, the sound of sirens heading off to assist. I was there, but it was about 2000m away - it felt far away, but at the same time so close. I don't know when it occurred to me that we had just been waving to the guys involved, but obviously it wasn't until much later that I realised that we were actually the last people to see them alive. The airport closed immediately and our passengers and cabin crew disappeared on buses to some other rendezvous point. We expected to be there for the night but, amazingly the airport re-opened again after a couple of hours and I was faced with the choice of bringing back an empty aircraft or going to a hotel. After a brief chat, the two of us agreed to bring our 319 back home empty and so it was, 12 hours and 10 minutes after starting our day, we finally shutdown for the last time at base. Every so often this incident comes back into my thoughts and about two years ago, having seen nothing in the news, I was moved to write to the Italian authority for accident investigation with a request for information about the causes. They were kind enough to reply but all I learned was that the aircraft was lost during a "maximum performance" manouvre. The memory of this incident will live with me forever and my sympathy goes to everyone who knew the airmen involved.

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Great post. Thanks. most of us who flew for a full career saw at least one accident. I remember being in the pattern in Thailand and seeing smoke start to rise just in front of me in the base turn. When I got to land I found out it was a classmate, Ted Hallenbeck. I think that is why so many pilots are afraid of heights.

Over the years I have never seen a published cause of the Italian J loss.

Bob

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