(Reuters) - A Puerto Rico Air National Guard cargo plane crashed on Wednesday near Savannah, Georgia, scattering fiery debris over a highway and railroad tracks, and likely killing all nine people aboard, officials said.

At least five were confirmed dead, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the number of fatalities could rise.

The Hercules C-130J aircraft went down about 11:30 a.m., shortly after takeoff from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, about 175 miles southeast of Atlanta, officials said.

The plane, which was on a training mission, was headed to Arizona and was going to be essentially retired after Wednesday’s flight, Major Paul Dahlen, spokesman for the Puerto Rico National Guard, told Pentagon reporters.

“It was basically its last flight,” Dahlen said. “Although it was an older aircraft, it was in good mechanical condition. I think it was 50-plus years old, but it was still, with all of the modern updates of a regular C-130.”

Dahlen declined to say whether all nine aboard were dead, but acknowledged that images of the crash appeared to “speak for themselves.”

Of the nine on the plane, five were crew members and four were passengers who were military maintenance and operations personnel, all from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

The four-engine plane sent up a towering cloud of black smoke, with a tail wing coming to rest on a highway median, television images showed. A witness, Michael Garrett, told WSAV-TV the plane was upside down before it crashed.

“That plane really flipped over on its back, slowly, like it was in slow motion,” Garrett said.

Gena Bilbo, spokeswoman for the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department, told reporters: “It is an absolute miracle” that no vehicles were hit in the busy intersection at the crash site.

Senior Master Sergeant Roger Parsons, an Air Force spokesman, said at a news conference that the cause of the crash was under investigation.

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The crash was at least the fifth deadly accident involving a U.S. military aircraft since early April and the first of a U.S. military C-130 since July, when 16 service members were killed in a Mississippi crash.

Roads in the area may be closed for weeks, Bilbo said.

The C-130 is a transport workhorse for the U.S. military, and Parsons described the crashed aircraft as a cargo plane.</s>Image copyright EPA Image caption Firefighters and local teams secured the site of the crash

Nine people have been confirmed dead after a military cargo plane crashed in the US state of Georgia.

Everyone on board the C-130 plane was killed when it came down beside a highway near an airport in Savannah.

It belonged to Puerto Rico Air National Guard and was on its last flight as it was on route to be de-commissioned, the National Guard said.

Images shared on social media showed wreckage engulfed in flames and black smoke spewing into the sky.

"Nine crew members died in the accident, but until their families and relatives are notified we cannot give their names," Puerto Rico National Guard spokesman Brig Gen Isabelo Rivera said in a statement.

He said the plane was on its way from Savannah to Tucson, Arizona on Wednesday to be placed in a strategic reserve holding area, as it was one of the oldest in the Guard's inventory.

Officials previously said that those on board were on a training flight. The plane crashed shortly after take-off.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Images showed the cargo plane in flames on a road in the coastal city of Savannah

Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello said that his thoughts were with the families of those involved while he waited for more information.

"They will receive our support and that of the National Guard of Puerto Rico in this process," he added.

In a tweet, US President Donald Trump said he was monitoring the situation.

"Please join me in thoughts and prayers for the victims, their families and the great men and women of the National Guard," he wrote.

One Instagram user, pilotgabe, posted a picture of the scene after the crash from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.

Firefighters were on the scene, tweeted the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association.

The local emergency management agency told drivers to avoid the area of the crash.</s>An Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane crashed Wednesday near the airport for Savannah, Georgia, killing at least five, Georgia Air National Guard officials say.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — An Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane crashed Wednesday near the airport for Savannah, Georgia, killing at least five, Georgia Air National Guard officials say.

The plane crashed at the intersection of two roads, the Chatham County Emergency Management Agency said in a tweet.

A photo tweeted by the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association shows the tail end of a plane and a field of flames and black smoke as an ambulance stands nearby.

The only part of the plane that remained intact was the tail section, said Chris Hanks, the assistant public information officer with the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association. The tail section was sitting on Highway 21 and the ground in front of it was black and littered with debris, he said.

Firefighters had put out the blaze but were still using a mixture of water and foam to take care of any remaining hot spots.

The Savannah Air National Guard says the plane was doing a training mission when it crashed around 11:30 a.m. near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. The unit said in a statement that there were five people on board the plane from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

The Air Force said the plane belonged to the 156th Air Wing out of Puerto Rico. The 165th Air Wing out of Savannah was responding to the crash.

Savannah’s Air National Guard base has been heavily involved in hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. In September 2017, it was designated by the Air National Guard as the hub of operations to the island nation in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria, the based announced at the time.

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport said on social media that some flights were being affected though the crash happened off its property. The airport advised passengers to check with their airline for updated flight information.</s>Wreckage is strewn across Route 21 where an Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane crashed May 2, 2018 in Port Wentworth, Georgia. Photo: SEAN RAYFORD/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

GEORGIA - All nine people on board were killed when a Puerto Rico Air National Guard cargo plane crashed on Wednesday near Savannah, Georgia, scattering fiery debris over a highway and railroad tracks, authorities said on Thursday.

Officials said the plane, a Hercules WC-130, was believed to be around 50 years old but was in good mechanical condition, and was making what had been scheduled to be its last flight. Officials said it was too soon to speculate about the cause of the crash. The WC-130 is a transport workhorse of the US military.

The plane went down at about 11:30 a.m. (1530 GMT), shortly after takeoff from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, about 175 miles (280 km) southeast of Atlanta, officials said.

All nine crew members died, Brigadier General Isabelo Rivera, assistant general of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, said in a statement, adding their names will not be released until their relatives have been notified.

Rivera said the National Guard and US Air Force had launched an investigation, and that it was too early to talk about what may have caused the crash.

The plane, which was on a training mission, was headed to the Aerospace Regeneration and Maintenance Group in Tucson, Arizona and was going to be essentially retired after Wednesday's flight, Major Paul Dahlen, spokesman for the Puerto Rico National Guard, told Pentagon reporters.

"It was basically its last flight," Dahlen said. "Although it was an older aircraft, it was in good mechanical condition. I think it was 50-plus years old, but it was still, with all of the modern updates of a regular (WC-130)."

Of the nine people on board, five were crew members and four were passengers who were military maintenance and operations personnel, all from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

The four-engine plane sent up a towering cloud of black smoke, with a tail wing coming to rest on a highway median, television images showed. A witness, Michael Garrett, told WSAV-TV on Wednesday the plane was upside down before it crashed.

"That plane really flipped over on its back, slowly, like it was in slow motion," Garrett said.

Gena Bilbo, the spokeswoman for the Effingham County Sheriff's Department, told reporters it was "an absolute miracle" that no vehicles were hit in the busy intersection at the crash site.

The crash was at least the fifth fatal accident involving a U.S. military aircraft since early April.

In July last year, 16 service members were killed in a KC-130 crash in Mississippi.</s>Wednesday morning, Officials confirmed at least two people dead after a massive National Guard transport plane crashed near a highway in the Savannah, Georgia area.

The Chatham County Emergency Management Agency says the plane went down outside of the Savannah/Hilton Head airport.

One witness said, “The plane looked kinda strange, it slowly rolled to the left and went all the way upside down on its back.”

The Georgia Air National Guard confirmed Wednesday that all 5 passengers aboard were killed in the crash.

Savannah firefighters say the aircraft is a very large C-130 Hercules military airplane.

The FAA said the plane was bound for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. Pictures on social media show a large plume of black smoke that can be seen for miles.

The post National Guard Transport Plane Crashes in Georgia – All 5 Passengers Dead appeared first on 850 WFTL.</s>Air National Guard C-130 Crashes In Georgia, Killing At Least 2

An Air National Guard cargo plane crashed near Savannah, Ga., on Wednesday morning while taking part in a training exercise.

Five people were on board the plane, which was attached to the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, says Capt. Jeff Bezore of the Georgia Air National Guard.

The local coroner's office says two fatalities have been confirmed.

Names of the victims are not being released until next of kin are notified, Bezore says in a statement.

This is a breaking news story. As often happens in situations like these, some information reported early may turn out to be inaccurate. We'll move quickly to correct the record and we'll only point to the best information we have at the time.</s>An Air National Guard c-130 cargo plane on Wednesday crashed near Savannah, Georgia, killing at least five on board, authorities said.



The plane was on a training mission when the accident occurred at roughly 11:30am local time. The Associated Press reported that between five and nine passengers were on board, reportedly National Guard members from Puerto Rico en route to the US mainland.

A photograph tweeted by firefighters at the scene showed the tail end of the plane ablaze alongside Highway 21 near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Debris was shown scattered across the road, a pillar of black smoke rising from the flames.

A spokesperson for the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association told Military.com that the tail section was the only part of the plane that remained intact.



The names of the victims are behind withheld until family members can be notified, authorities said.

According to CBS News, the Savannah Air National Guard Base has been heavily involved in the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.</s>An Air National Guard C-130 cargo plane on a training mission crashed Wednesday onto a busy highway near a Georgia airport, killing all nine National Guard members from Puerto Rico, authorities said.

The Air Force said the plane belonged to the 156th Air Wing out of Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico National Guard Spokesman Maj. Paul Dahlen told The Associated Press that all those aboard were Puerto Ricans who had recently left the U.S. territory for a mission on the U.S. mainland.

Officials said the plane, a Hercules WC-130, was believed to be around 50 years old but was in good mechanical condition, and was making what had been scheduled to be its last flight. Officials said it was too soon to speculate about the cause of the crash. The WC-130 is a transport workhorse of the U.S. military.

The plane went down at about 11:30 a.m. (1530 GMT), shortly after takeoff from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, about 175 miles (280 km) southeast of Atlanta, officials said.

All nine crew members died, Brigadier General Isabelo Rivera, assistant general of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, said in a statement, adding their names will not be released until their relatives have been notified.

Rivera said the National Guard and U.S. Air Force had launched an investigation, and that it was too early to talk about what may have caused the crash.

"We are saddened by the plane accident that occurred today in Georgia," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said in a tweet Wednesday. "Our prayers are with the families of the Puerto Rican crew."

The plane, which was on a training mission, was headed to the Aerospace Regeneration and Maintenance Group in Tucson, Arizona and was going to be essentially retired after Wednesday's flight, Major Paul Dahlen, spokesman for the Puerto Rico National Guard, told Pentagon reporters.

"It was basically its last flight," Dahlen said. "Although it was an older aircraft, it was in good mechanical condition. I think it was 50-plus years old, but it was still, with all of the modern updates of a regular (WC-130)."

Of the nine people on board, five were crew members and four were passengers who were military maintenance and operations personnel, all from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.

The four-engine plane sent up a towering cloud of black smoke, with a tail wing coming to rest on a highway median, television images showed. A witness, Michael Garrett, told WSAV-TV on Wednesday the plane was upside down before it crashed.

"That plane really flipped over on its back, slowly, like it was in slow motion," Garrett said.

Gena Bilbo, spokeswoman for the Effingham County Sheriff's Department, told reporters it was "an absolute miracle" that no vehicles were hit in the busy intersection at the crash site.

The crash was at least the fifth fatal accident involving a U.S. military aircraft since early April.

In July last year, 16 service members were killed in a WC-130 crash in Mississippi.</s>All nine National Guard members aboard a decommissioned Puerto Rico National Guard cargo plane were killed Wednesday when it crashed onto a busy roadway near Savannah, Georgia, and burst into flames, officials said.

Authorities said no one on the ground was injured.

Brig. Gen. Isabelo Rivera, the adjutant general, or commander, of the Puerto Rico Guard, said the Guard members were aboard a WC-130 aircraft headed to Tucson, Arizona. Their names are being withheld until their families could be notified, he said.

The plane was attached to the 156th Airlift Wing at Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina, Rivera said.

The WC-130 Hercules is a high-wing, medium-range aircraft often used for Air Force weather reconnaissance missions. Rivera said the plane that crashed Wednesday had been decommissioned because it was one of the oldest in the Puerto Rico Guard's inventory.

Witnesses told NBC affiliate WSAV that the crash took place shortly after takeoff, which Rivera said was at about 11:30 a.m. ET. Images and videos on social media showed a large plume of smoke rising from a fiery aircraft.</s>Military c130 down at 21 and Gulfstream Rd. Avoid the area. 21 shut down until further notice. pic.twitter.com/6hUqwmkNUu — IAFF574 Savannah (@IAFF574) May 2, 2018

Five people are dead after a C-130 military plane crashed in Savannah, Georgia.The "Hercules" cargo plane from Puerto Rico Air National Guard crashed while performing at training mission around 11:30 a.m.It came down at an intersection along Highway 21 and burst into flames.A photo tweeted by the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association shows the tail end of a plane and a field of flames and black smoke along the side of a road as an ambulance stands nearby.An investigation is ongoing.----------
A Puerto Rico Air National Guard C-130 Hercules transport plane crashes during a training flight near Savannah, Georgia, United States, killing all five crew members and four passengers.