141 bodies retrieved from Hercules C-130 crash site in Medan, North Sumatra

[webfact]

141 bodies retrieved from Hercules C-130 crash site in Medan



MEDAN: -- A total of 141 bodies have been retrieved by rescue workers from the wreckage of a military plane that crashed into a residential area shortly after taking off on Tuesday in Medan, North Sumatra, The Jakarta Globe reported.

It was feared more bodies were still trapped beneath the debris.

Forensics experts have identified 23 military personnel out of the 141 bodies pulled from the site. The bodies were evacuated to Adam Malik General Hospital in Medan.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has launched an investigation to determine whether the aircraft had been used for civilian transport purposes, a rent-seeking practice common in areas underserved by commercial air links.

An initial probe suggests the plane’s operators had indeed been ferrying passengers for money.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop military transportation plane carrying 12 crew members and 109 passengers, crashed two minutes after taking off from the Soewondo air base on Tuesday afternoon, killing everyone on board as well as people on the ground.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/141-bodies-retrieved-from-hercules-c-130-crash-site-in-medan


-- Thai PBS 2015-07-02

[NeverSure]

RIP. What a shame for those people and their families.

The whole tail section is remarkably preserved except for damage from heat from the fire. Even the elevators and rudder and trim tabs are intact. This is highly unusual unless the attitude of the plane is almost straight down at impact. This would be consistent with the very small wreckage field.

The intact tail section is upside down. It would be difficult for that to happen without extensive damage unless the plane itself was inverted at impact.

Let's see how we do against the coming investigation. Possibly the plane lost power shortly after takeoff from mechanical failure or fuel starvation. The pilots failed to get the nose down to maintain airspeed and the plane ran out of lift for the wings. The wings stalled dropping the plane into a fully involved stall including going inverted into a spin and it augured almost straight into the ground.

[Traveling Sailor]

109 passengers?? How many does a C-130 carry comfortably? I have no idea, but 109 seems like a lot to me. Just wondering. 141 bodies. 12 crew plus 109 passengers equal 121 on board. 20 people killed on the ground?? Is this Indonesian math??

Edited July 2, 2015 by Traveling Sailor

[Jay Sata]

A C130 does not carry passengers comfortably.

It is a transport aircraft usually used to move military vehicles and freight although it can also carry troops and parachutists.

I have flown in the UK air force version that has a line of webbing seats along each outer wall of fuselage facing inwards.

Seating capacity on these is 92.

I have seen them configured to carry extra seats in the centre section affixed to the cargo rails but I doubt that method was emploed in this aircraft.

Aviation and accidents seem to go hand in hand in Indonesia.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Jay Sata

[mercman24]

there ya go , dont need an investigation post 2 has done it all for you, lol !

[Jay Sata]

there ya go , dont need an investigation post 2 has done it all for you, lol !

You obviously dont't know much about Indonesia.

They have a similar system to Thailand.

Once the dead are buried and the mess cleaned up the accident will be forgotten until the next one.