What happened
A C-130H2 transport aircraft departed from Baghdad Airport on a support mission, carrying 32 passengers and six crew members. Approximately one minute after departure, while the aircraft was climbing at 163 knots and an altitude of 313 feet, the onboard defensive system triggered an alert. Following established procedures to respond to this alert, the crew discovered that engines number 1, 3, and 4 had each suffered a 60% reduction in power.
Unable to maintain standard flight parameters, the pilot initiated an emergency descent into an open field situated roughly 7.5 km north of the airport. The aircraft landed with its landing gear partially extended, causing significant structural damage that rendered the plane a total loss. Despite the impact, all 38 occupants managed to evacuate the wreckage without any injuries. Due to the nature of the incident, personnel from the 447th Air Expeditionary Group, including maintenance and explosive ordnance disposal teams, were deployed to the site. On July 7, the aircraft was destroyed via controlled demolition.
Findings
An investigation into the mishap determined that there was insufficient evidence to pinpoint the specific origin of the engine power loss. However, investigators concluded that a combination of factors led to the aircraft landing with gear partially down. The primary contributing factor was the simultaneous occurrence of a defensive system alert and a sudden loss of power across three engines while at a critically low altitude and airspeed.
This sequence of events left the crew with minimal time for situational assessment or recovery maneuvers. Furthermore, it was noted that the flight crew had not previously encountered a multi-engine failure scenario during takeoff training in the C-130H2 simulator. While checklist procedures were followed, they failed to restore engine performance. The pilot's decision to execute a controlled descent and forced landing prevented further catastrophe.