Incident Overview
On 30 January 2005, a Royal Air Force Hercules C-130 (XV179) departed Baghdad International Airport at 1324Z en route to Balad Southeast. The aircraft was conducting a routine operational task involving passenger and freight movements. At 1330Z, a radio message from the aircraft reported: "no duff, no duff, we are on fire, we are on fire." The aircraft was declared missing at 1355Z, and the crash site was located at 1415Z by a US Apache helicopter formation. The crash was not survivable.
Crew and Aircraft Status
The crew were on duty, properly trained, qualified, current, and authorised. They were medically fit and well rested. The aircraft had been serviceable with no significant defects prior to the incident. It was operating at low level.
Wreckage and Evidence
The wreckage was found in two separate locations: a main site containing the majority of the aircraft structure and human remains, and a remote site 1.3 miles away where the outboard section of the right-hand wing was located. The separated wing section had detached due to an explosive over-pressure event inside the number 4 fuel tank. Witnesses reported seeing fireballs fired at the aircraft. Evidence ruled out bird strike, lightning, mid-air collision, controlled flight into terrain, wire or obstacle strike, control restriction, sabotage, improvised explosive device, cargo explosion, engine fire, and fatigue. The separated wing showed signs of being hit by an object, and there was evidence of an airborne fire in that area.
Investigation Limitations
Access to the crash sites was limited due to the hostile environment. The Board arrived 65 hours after the incident and was only able to spend one day at the main site. The remote site was accessed under threat of concealed explosives and insurgent attack. Despite these constraints, the Board gathered extensive photographic and forensic evidence.
Cause
The Board of Inquiry concluded that XV179 crashed because the aircraft became uncontrollable after hostile action caused the explosive separation of the outboard 23 feet of the right-hand wing.