Incident Overview
A C-130 transport aircraft experienced a landing incident at Lajes Air Base after declaring an inflight emergency (IFE) for a right wing engine shutdown. According to a maintenance controller on duty, the aircraft approached from the south to north and touched down on the runway.
Sequence of Events
During the landing roll, the crew reversed thrust on all three operating engines instead of only the symmetrical engines on each wing. This action produced twice the reverse thrust on the left wing, causing the aircraft to yaw sharply to the left. The aircraft departed the runway, went through the perimeter fence, and rode up rock walls before coming to rest. It nearly impacted two dwellings on the other side of the fence. The left wing subsequently caught fire.
Emergency Response
Fire trucks were already standing by as standard procedure for IFEs, allowing them to respond quickly. The fire was extinguished promptly. The only injury to the aircrew was a broken finger.
Additional Context
The aircraft was carrying produce flown in weekly for the base commissary. In a coincidental moment just before landing, the Line Chief remarked over the maintenance radio, “I hope he remembers to reverse only one and four when he lands.” Immediately after, he reported, “We have a 130 in the dirt! We have a 130 on fire!”
Aftermath
The damaged aircraft was later repaired using the cockpit section of a C-130 that had been written off after a hard landing in Germany, transported by a C-5 aircraft along with replacement wings. Maintenance personnel from Robbins Depot assembled the components, and the aircraft eventually flew on a one-time flight to a depot in Italy.