An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

17 survive Dover C-5 Galaxy crash

  • Published
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AMCNS) --  The 17 people aboard the C-5 Galaxy that crashed near Dover Air Force Base, Del., today all survived, a 436th Airlift Wing spokesman said.

There is still no official word on the condition of the survivors, wing spokesman 1st Lt. Jamal Beck said.

“We’re still gathering information,” he said. As of 11 a.m. EDT, firefighters, medics and security forces were still on the scene.

The huge cargo plane crashed at 6:30 a.m. EDT today. The crew of 14 was comprised of personnel from the 436th Airlift Wing and 512th Air Reserve Wing’s 326th and 709th Airlift Squadrons. Additionally, there were three passengers on the aircraft.

Television news reports of the crash show the aircraft's tail a distance from the main wreckage, where the fuselage and nose are adjacent but separated.

The last C-5 crash occurred Aug. 29, 1990, during Operation Desert Shield. That aircraft crashed after takeoff from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, killing 13 of the 17 people on board.

The C-5 is the Air Force’s largest transport and has been in the fleet since 1969. The plane stretches almost the length of a football field and stands as high as a six-story building. The cargo compartment is 121 feet long, 19 feet wide and 13 feet high.

A board of Air Force officers will convene to investigate the cause of the accident, officials said.