Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Following a normal takeoff roll, the pilot-in-command started the rotation. During initial climb, at a height of about 100 feet and at a speed of 122 knots, the engine n°4 went into Beta range and lost power. The crew elected to regain control but the aircraft rolled to the right, causing the right wing to struck the grassy area along runway 13. Out of control, the aircraft plunged in the Kowloon Bay and came to rest 500 metres offshore. Six occupants were rescued while six others were killed.

While in level flight, the airplane's right wing separated and, during the separation sequence, wing fuel ignited. Subsequent laboratory examination of right-side, center-wing fragments revealed two fatigue cracks that propagated to overstress fractures. One of the cracks was within the underside wing skin below a doubler, and the other was within the doubler itself. The total size and origin of the fatigue regions could not be determined due to damage to fracture surfaces and a lack of available material. The airplane was delivered new to the U.S. Air Force in December 1957 and was retired from military service in 1986. In May 1990, the FAA issued a restricted-category special airworthiness certificate authorizing the airplane to dispense aerial fire retardant. At the time of the accident, the airplane had a total of 20,289 flight hours, 19,547 of which were acquired during its military service. The inspection and maintenance programs used by the operator, which were based on military standards, included general visual inspections for cracks but did not include enhanced or focused inspections of highly stressed areas, such as the wing sections, where the fatigue cracks that led to those accidents were located. The operator did not possess the engineering expertise necessary to conduct studies and engineering analysis to define the stresses associated with the firefighting operating environment and to predict the effects of those stresses on the operational life of the airplanes.

After landing at Malanje Airport, the crew encountered technical problems with the brakes. The aircraft came to rest on the runway, bursting into flames. All five crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

En route from Moscow to Tehran, while in cruising altitude over Armenia by night, the aircraft was shot down by a surface-to-air missile and crashed 3 km north of Stepanakert Airport. All 32 occupants were killed. According to Iranian authorities, all passengers were employees of the Iranian embassy in Moscow flying back home with family members.

En route from Mombasa to Mogadishu, while in cruising altitude over the Indian Ocean, the crew contacted ATC and declared an emergency following an explosion in the cargo compartment. The crew initiated an emergency descent and elected to divert to the nearest airport when control was lost. The aircraft crashed in the sea about 200 metres offshore, some 7 km from Malindi. Six crew members were rescued while eight others were killed.

The descent to Naga City Airport was initiated in poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to heavy rain falls. On approach, the four engine aircraft struck the slope of Mt Manase located 30 km from the airport and disintegrated on impact. All 30 occupants were killed. They were on their way to Naga City on a typhoon relief mission.

The aircraft was dispatched at Wainwright Airport to practice cargo drop and parachute deployment test. While passing over the runway at low height, the aircraft went out of control, struck the runway surface and crashed, bursting into flames. Five crew members were killed in the accident. The call sign is not confirmed.
Those killed were:
Cpt Michael G. Allen,
Cpt Vincent L. Schurman,
M/WO Joseph Sylvio Castonguay,
Sgt Alain Michaud,
M/Cpl Ronald J. McWilliam.

The aircraft with the call sign 'Star trek 3' was one of three Hercules aircraft from 70th Squadron, RAF Lyneham, engaged in formation and low-level navigation training over Scotland. Having completed the formation element of the sortie, the three aircraft separated for individual exercises, which, for the crew of XV193, included a simulated drop of a small cargo pack onto a dummy drop zone in a valley, (Glen Tilt) eight miles north of Pitlochry. Having completed the simulated drop exercises and turned north to begin their egress from the drop zone, a rocky outcrop forced the crew to continue the left turn. After avoiding this obstacle, the crew elected to reverse their turn to enter the narrow valley of Glen Loch and regain the original route. In performing this
manoeuvre, at low-level and low-speed, the aircraft stalled and crashed crashed forcefully into the moorland in Glen Loch (East of Glen Tilt) near Loch Loch. All nine crew members were killed.
Crew (70th Squadron from RAF Lyneham):
S/L Graham Paul Young,
S/L Stanley Duncan Muir,
F/Lt Graham Robert John Southard,
F/Lt Stephen Paul McNally,
F/O Jonathan Huw Owen,
M/A Terence John William Gilmore,
Sgt Craig Thomas Hilliard,
Sgt Alan Keith King,
Lt/Cpl Gary Reginald Manning.

The aircraft was designed and used as the company's engineering test bed. An evaluation of the fly-by-wire rudder actuator and ground minimum control speed (vmcg) was being conducted. During the final hi-speed ground test run, the aircraft abruptly veered left and became airborne. It entered a left turn, climbed to about 250 feet, departed controlled flight and impacted the ground. Investigation revealed a design feature in the rudder actuator that removes hydraulic pressure within the actuator if the rudder position commanded by the pilot exceeded the actual rudder actuator position for a specified time, and the rudder aerodynamically trails. The actuator previously disengaged in flight. The company did not conduct a system safety review of the rudder bypass feature and its consequences to all flight regimes, nor of the vmcg test. The flight test plan specified that engine power be retarded if the rudder became ineffective. Neither pilot had received training as an experimental test pilot. The company allowed experimental flight tests at a confined, metropolitan airport. All seven occupants were killed.

The crew departed Martinsburg-Eastern West Virginia-Shepherd Field for a local training flight. While flying at low height, the four engine aircraft struck power cables and crashed onto a house located 3 km northwest of Berkeley Springs. All six crew members were killed while the unique person in the house was slightly injured.