38 Dead in the crash of a Chilean Military Plane C130
C130 Hércules del Grupo de Aviación Nº 10 Took off at 4:55 and Lost contact 6:13 Dec. according to the Chilean MOD official release .
38 passengers were aboard according to the release.
11 Dec U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) directed U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command to deploy a P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime aircraft to Punta Arenas, Chile, December 10 to support the South American nation’s ongoing search for a Chilean Air Force C-130 Hercules that went missing in the Drake Passage while transporting 38 passengers and crew to the Antarctic.
In response to a request from the government of Chile, the P-8A aircraft and its 20-person crew departed El Salvador’s Comalapa Air Base and arrived in Punta Arenas December 11. The aircraft and crew are expected to begin supporting the ongoing search December 12.
Prior to the P-8A deployment, SOUTHCOM assisted the Chilean search efforts by providing satellite imagery of the search area.
The P-8A Poseidon aircraft was in El Salvador’s Comalapa Air Base supporting counter-illicit trafficking maritime patrol operations as part of a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Chile and with the families of the missing as we join other regional partners supporting Chile’s ongoing search for the C-130, its crew and their passengers,” said U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command.
The P-8A Poseidon is the Navy’s newest maritime, patrol and reconnaissance aircraft and is configured with state-of-the-art sensors and communications equipment, allowing it to support a wide range of missions over large bodies of water, including sub-surface search-and-rescue operations. It can reach an airspeed of 564 mph, has a ceiling of 41,000 feet and a range of 1,200 nautical miles with four hours on station, allowing it to loiter over search areas.
The Chilean C-130 plane has been found 12 Dec. and all on board are believed to be dead.
Official Release: