On November 11 a Turkish military C-130E Hercules crashed. There is video of the aircraft breaking up in flight and visual proof that the wings detached from the fuselage and spiraled to the ground.
The aircraft, which had been using the callsign TUAF543, had taken off from Ganja International Airport in Azerbaijan some 30 minutes earlier and was flying level at 24,000 feet (FL240) before the incident.
The crash was first reported by Georgian air traffic control which saw the flight disappear from radar. The impact was on Georgian territory, not far from the Azerbaijan border.
The plane in question (68-01609) was 56 years old. It had been purchased earlier by Turkey from Saudi Arabia. Most C130E models are retired from service. TUAF543 went through a major overhaul recently that involved updated avionics and other improvements. There is no information that other structural issues were addressed in the overhaul.
The C-130 is primarily a transport aircraft, although it has served in other roles. The crashed aircraft was carrying 20 soldiers and crew who had been visiting Azerbaijan to participate in a parade.
The US Air Force received its first C-130E in December, 1969, the same year as the Turkish plane was manufactured by Lockheed in Marietta in the US state of Georgia. The last American C-130E, part of the USAF Air Mobility Command, was retired in February 2004 after 35 years of service.
The C-130E uses four Allison Turbofan engines (T-56-A-15), which are reliable and reasonably efficient.
The single most common structural issue with C-130s (all models) is the center wing box. The only company approved to replace the center wing box in the Hercules is the Marshal Aerospace and Defense Group. The company has overseas partnerships, but not in Turkey.
The center wing box is how the aircraft’s wings are attached to the ship’s fuselage. The wing of the C-130 features a single strut at the center wing box, so the chances of cracks and metal failure happening are high. For that reason, the service life of a wing box is specified for each C-130 model and at that point it must be replaced. Replacements can put a C-130 in a shop for up to one year.
There is no information on the Turkish C-130s’ center wing boxes. We don’t know whether they were ever replaced. The Turkish aerospace authorities have launched an investigation into the crash.
There are other reasons why the C-130 could have broken up, including metal fatigue in the aircraft, or some kinetic event such as an explosion. The single video of the crash does not suggest an explosion.
Turkish C-130s not yet grounded
So far at least the Turkish Air Force has not grounded any of its C-130s. The current inventory lists 6 C-130Bs and 11 C-130Es operational (10 after the crash). All have the additional designation M meaning they were upgraded. Reportedly Turkey is also buying 12 C-130J models from the Royal Air Force, but this aircraft purchase is in process. Like its predecessors, the newer C-130Js also must have center wing boxes replaced when their service life is reached.
There is no good reason why any of the existing fleet should be flying if the center wing boxes have not been replaced. All of them are decades-old aircraft, models that most air forces have sent to museums or to the scrap yard.
Former US Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Stephen Bryen is a senior Asia Times correspondent. This article was first published in his Substack newsletter War and Strategy.
