Chile C-130 Missing Enroute Antarctica

[Airbubba]

From the Beeb:

Chilean military plane 'disappears' with 38 aboardA military plane with 38 on board has disappeared en route to Antarctica, Chilean air force says in a statement.

The C-130 Hercules transport aircraft took off from Punta Arenas at 16:55 local time (19:55 GMT), and operators lost contact soon after 18:00 (21:00).

Among the missing are 17 crew members and 21 passengers, who were travelling to provide logistical support.

Chile's air force said a search and rescue operation is under way to recover the plane and those missing.

News agency EFE reports that three of those on board are civilians.

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera said in a tweet that he was "dismayed" by the disappearance, and was monitoring the situation at Cerrillos Air Base from the capital Santiago.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50723907

[Airbubba]

A couple of Twitter updates.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1077x1200/elzetjrw4ac_don_f9f8d6a1f1b2a7801c93d6b8b3d10748fa3922d8.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1200x680/elzusvaw4aanlw4_eaba04f667ee7ecd42de55193358feb73b7f85d5.jpg

[Asturias56]

Doesn't look good :(

[Airbubba]

Here's a list of the vessels, aircraft and satellites involved in the search.


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1080x1142/ela2ujbwkaer69m_426182ca361dc73e9121a00b2d5bfdc2fc80f310.jpg

[SA Brit]

Would a C130 be FANS equipped?

[Auxtank]

Would a C130 be FANS equipped?

It would appear, yes.
See here:
https://www.uasc.com/docs/default-source/documents/brochures/uasc_c-130_brochure30640d680be46fa29f2dff3c00557699.pdf?sfvrsn=2495 6453_12

Godspeed those out there tonight and all concerned with the SAR

[sycamore]

No RAF involvement....?

[Herod]

No RAF involvement....?

Where would they come from?

[sycamore]

Falklands...

[A0283]

Crew with military and at least 3 civilian passengers on board. Does anyone know if this is a scheduled flight supplying those bases/stations?

[ericsson16]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-4YdpcgXLM&t=260s

[sandiego89]

Crew with military and at least 3 civilian passengers on board. Does anyone know if this is a scheduled flight supplying those bases/stations?

Sounds like a semi-routine summer supply run to the main research base, with usual crew, plus a few Army members, 2 civilian construction workers and a university passenger.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/chile-plane-missing-c130-plane-disappears-with-38-people-on-board-search-continues-today-2019-12-10/

[wishmaker]

a Chilean newspaper from FACH shows fuel tanks sponge with kinda s/n apparently from the C130 lost on Monday

[wishmaker]

if the SAR leader confirm that sponges found belonged to the ill fated Herc they are going to reorient the effort to the quadrant where a fish ship found the floating debris

[atakacs]

Any idea where that is (at least in broad terms)?

[Davef68]

No RAF involvement....?

The A400M from Mount Pleasant has been deployed to assist

[Mil-26Man]

The A400M from Mount Pleasant has been deployed to assist

https://en.mercopress.com/2019/12/11/search-for-missing-chilean-aircraft-becomes-international-matter

[wishmaker]

Any idea where that is (at least in broad terms)?
different sources marked 30 - 40 kmts from last position known

[TEEEJ]

https://en.mercopress.com/2019/12/11/search-for-missing-chilean-aircraft-becomes-international-matter


https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/raf-provide-military-assistance-in-search-for-missing-chilean-air-force-aircraft/

[NutLoose]

Wreckage located, sadly reporting no survivors.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-50752686

[Asturias56]

seems to have happened quite suddenly - the wreckage isn't that far from the last call from the aircraft.

[Wycombe]

Some years ago whilst in the FI I got chatting to the crew of the British Antarctic Survey Dash 7 that I'd earlier seen arrive at Stanley Airport.

The story of their day was that they'd set off south to the British Base in Antarctica (Rothera) and several hours in had to turn back as stronger than forecast headwinds had got them to the point of insufficient fuel to make their destination.

I'm not saying that's what may have happened here but sobering nonetheless.

[Asturias56]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/chile-starts-identifying-remains-plane-crash-victims-191214061021697.html

The remains of 38 people killed in a military plane crash have been flown to a military base in Chile (https://www.aljazeera.com/topics/country/chile.html) for identification.

"A C-130 plane arrived at the Chabunco airbase, with the first findings of human remains and personal items .. these were already delivered to the Public Ministry ... to confirm the identity of the people that went missing," the Chilean air force in a tweet on Friday.

On Friday, a total of 39 relatives of 11 crash victims flew from the capital Santiago to Punta Arenas, where the base is located, to provide DNA samples. Thirty-eight people - 21 passengers and 17 crew - were on the plane that crashed on Monday, en route to a base in far-southern Chile on a regular maintenance flight for an Antarctic base. Radio contact was lost 70 minutes later.

After midnight, the air force declared the plane a loss, but it was not until Wednesday that a plane scanning the seas first spotted floating debris believed to be from the plane.

Authorities say they have not ruled out anything as to the cause of the crash, while they also called for national mourning on Saturday and Sunday.

El @GobiernodeChile (https://twitter.com/GobiernodeChile?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) decreta duelo nacional para el sábado 14 y domingo 15 con motivo del accidente del avión C-130 #FACh (https://twitter.com/hashtag/FACh?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw).
Este lamentable suceso no solo enluta a las familias afectadas sino a nuestra Institución completa y los próximos dos días la bandera se izará a media asta. pic.twitter.com/juoEtISzB2 (https://t.co/juoEtISzB2)

— Fuerza Aérea de Chile (@FACh_Chile) December 13, 2019 (https://twitter.com/FACh_Chile/status/1205602943157854213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

(Translation: The Government of Chile decrees national mourning for Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 on the occasion of the C-130 #FACh plane crash. This unfortunate event not only mourns affected families but our entire institution and the next two days the flag will be raised at half-mast. - Chile air force)

According to reports, the plane made no emergency signal prior to its disappearance, indicating the circumstances of the accident were likely abrupt. The air force has said the plane's maintenance record was in order.
It also said it will investigate a WhatsApp audio message sent by a passenger to relatives that allegedly said the plane was having electrical problems.

[dusk2dawn]

https://cambio21.cl/pais/hrcules-c-130-fiscala-da-giro-e-investiga-la-tragedia-como-cuasidelito-de-homicidio-5e5bc86baa2d746183477365
(Google Translate, please)

The lawyer Maximiliano Delgado, representing 15 families with relatives lost on board the C130, claims FACH is guilty of manslaughter following disclosure of confidential report claiming tank no 1 and 4 fuel quantity indicators inop and crews request for replacement parts to one faulty oil cooler flap.