The US Air Force has released the first images showing the wreckage of a Boeing C-17 strategic transport which crashed at Elmendorf AFB in Alaska on 28 July. Four personnel from the service’s 3rd Wing died in the accident.
Powered by four Pratt & Whitney F117 turbofan engines, the aircraft came down in a wooded area inside the base perimeter, shortly after taking off on a local training mission. It was destroyed during the impact and a resulting fire.
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All images © Senior Airman Cynthia Spalding/US Air Force |
The three images released by the air force identify the lost transport as aircraft 00173. This had been delivered to the USAF in 2001, as recorded in Flightglobal’s MiliCAS database.
The air force says a safety investigation board team had been assembled by 2 August, and has started its work to determine the factors behind the first loss of a C-17. “The investigation is ongoing and will continue for an undetermined amount of time,” it adds.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
