HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah — A photo from Hill Air Force Base taken Sunday shows emergency crews responding to a plane that made a hard landing.
A FOX 13 News viewer submitted the photo above and stated in the email a C-130’s landing gear failed.
The individual who emailed the photo stated fire department officials had put down foam in anticipation of the plane touching down, as they had reports that the plane’s landing gear would not descend.
The aircraft sustained damage including a small fire.
A press release from Hill Air Force Base officials stated the C-130 had declared an inflight emergency and performed an emergency landing around 1 p.m. The release stated there were no injuries associated with the landing and that six crewmembers were on board.
The release stated, “The C-130 is owned by the 153rd Air Refueling Wing with the Wyoming Air National Guard. The aircrew was conducting fire-fighting missions and was scheduled to arrive here to refuel and resupply.”
Since July 20 the Department of Defense has used these aircraft in 131 airdrops, discharging more than 244,000 gallons of retardant on wild fires throughout the country.
The C-130 has been in use by the U.S. Military since 1954. It’s manufactured by Lockheed Martin. Each plane costs about $30 million. The plane weighs about 155,000 pounds.
Hill AFB said the investigation into what caused the landing gear to malfunction is still ongoing.
FOX 13 News will have more information as it becomes available.
