What happened
Shortly after departing from Jacksonville Air Force Base, a C-130 Hercules was involved in a mid-air collision with a Cessna T-37 Tweet. The training aircraft, which was operated by the USAF, was traveling to Jacksonville AFB from Big Spring-Webb Airbase with two pilots on board. The incident occurred approximately one minute after the Hercules had taken off.
Following the impact, both aircraft lost control and descended into a field situated roughly three miles away from the airfield. The collision resulted in five fatalities among the crew members aboard the Hercules. The two pilots on the T-37 successfully utilized their ejection seats and survived the accident.
Findings
No specific findings regarding the mechanical or environmental conditions were provided, but the primary factor was the mid-air collision between the two aircraft during the initial climb phase.