Authorities are focused on recovery efforts after nine members of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard were killed in a cargo plane crash in Savannah, officials said at a news conference Thursday morning.
The bodies of the airmen had not been found from Wednesday morning's wreckage of the WC-130 Hercules, Vice Commander Cpl. Peter Boone with the 165th Airlift Wing in Savannah said.
“We are in the process of notifying the families of those involved and ask for your patience, your prayers and privacy as we allow time for those families to be notified in time for them to grieve,” he said.
The victims are expected to be identified later today, Puerto Rico National Guard spokesman Maj. Paul W. Dahlen said.
Few new details were released, but chief among them was that the plane was in Savannah for routine maintenance. Boone could not say if maintenance was a factor in the crash.
The flight was bound for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
“It’s extremely important for us to fully understand what has happened,” Boone said. “Any speculation without all of the details could affect the outcome of the investigation.”
It was not readily known if the pilot spoke with communications before the crash.
According to investigators, the plane nosedived onto a highway. The crash happened around 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Ga. 21 and Crossgate Road.
The crew was flying the plane into retirement when it plunged to the ground, The Associated Press reported.
Initial reports indicated the plane was more than 60 years old, but Boone clarified that it was manufactured in the 1970s.
Its fuselage appeared to have struck the median, and pieces of its wings were scattered across lanes in both directions. The only part of the plane left intact was a tail section, investigators said.
“It’s a difficult moment for the Puerto Rican National Guard and, in particular, the families of those involved,” Dahlen said Wednesday. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all the family members of those involved, and we are going to do our best to make sure that we get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.”
No one on the ground was injured.
A spokeswoman for the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, Gena Bilbo, said that “miraculously,” the plane didn’t hit any cars or homes.
Credit: Savannah Professional Firefighters Association
Credit: Savannah Professional Firefighters Association
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