Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Debris field forensics

General’s comments correspond with eyewitness accounts of KC-130’s descent

- JEFF AMY Informatio­n for this article was contribute­d by Emily Wagster Pettus, Rogelio Solis and Michael Hill of The Associated Press; and by Ellen Ann Fentress, Richard Perez-Pena and Dave Philipps of The New York Times.

Military personnel search a bean field Wednesday at the site where a military transport plane crashed Monday in the Mississipp­i Delta near Itta Bena, killing 15 Marines and a Navy corpsman. Marine Brig. Gen. Bradley James said Wednesday that the plane apparently developed problems at cruising altitude and left a “large debris pattern,” including two main impact areas.

JACKSON, Miss. — The military transport plane that crashed Monday in the Mississipp­i Delta, killing 15 Marines and a Navy sailor, appears to have developed problems while high in the air, a Marine general said Wednesday.

“Indication­s are something went wrong at cruise altitude,” Brig. Gen. Bradley James said Wednesday at a news conference in Itta Bena, Miss. That squares with comments from witnesses who said they saw the plane descend from high altitude with an engine smoking.

James did not specify what he meant by “cruise altitude.” As a propeller-driven craft, the KC-130 does not fly as high as similar-size jets. It can go above 30,000 feet with a relatively light load, but it generally cruises below that level.

The crash killed nine Marines from Newburgh, N.Y., and six Marines and a Navy corpsman from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, James said.

James said here is a “large debris pattern,” including two main impact areas separated by a mile, with a four-lane highway in between them.

Mississipp­i Public Safety Commission­er Marshall Fisher repeated earlier warnings that people in the crash area shouldn’t pick up any debris, which could include weapons, ammunition and evidence valuable to determinin­g why the plane crashed.

“None of that stuff should be touched,” Fisher said. “Removal of anything from the area could be subject to criminal prosecutio­n.”

Fisher, who also spoke at Wednesday’s news conference, said the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as well as federal prosecutor­s in northern Mississipp­i, are investigat­ing reports that someone removed debris. State law enforcemen­t agencies are guarding the area, but the broad area and number of roads make it difficult to control access.

Fisher urged people to call the ATF if they find anything.

Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said the debris is spread across 2 to 3 miles of farmland. He estimated Wednesday that it will take investigat­ors five or six days to sift the wreckage and clean up the site where the plane crashed.

Six of the Marines and the sailor were from an elite Marine Raider battalion at Camp Lejeune and were headed for pre-deployment training in Yuma, Ariz., the Marine Corps said Tuesday.

Marine Maj. Andrew Aranda said Wednesday that the names of those killed will not be released until 24 hours after family members are notified.

Several bouquets were left Tuesday at the main gate of Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y., where the plane was based.

“We’re feeling the pain that everybody else is,” Robert Brush said after dropping off three pots of red, white and blue petunias. He works for a landscapin­g company that serves the base.

The crash was the deadliest Marine Corps air disaster since 2005, when a transport helicopter went down during a sandstorm in Iraq, killing 30 Marines and a sailor.

The crash happened outside the small town of Itta Bena about 85 miles north of the state capital of Jackson.

The Marine Corps said the cause was under investigat­ion and offered no informatio­n on whether the plane issued a distress call.

FBI agents joined military investigat­ors, though Aranda told reporters that no foul play was suspected.

“They are looking at the debris and will be collecting informatio­n off of that to figure out what happened,” Aranda said.

The KC-130 is used to refuel aircraft in flight and to transport cargo and troops.

The plane was built in 1993. It previously refueled fighter jets patrolling the nofly zone in Iraq before the 2003 invasion, and later it ferried troops and equipment into and out of the war zones in Iraq and Afghanista­n, records and photograph­s of the plane show.

The Marines said the plane was carrying personal weapons and small-arms ammunition at the time of the crash — equipment that may have contribute­d to the explosion and the popping that could be heard as the wreckage burned.

 ?? AP/The Clarion-Ledger/ELIJAH BAYLIS ??
AP/The Clarion-Ledger/ELIJAH BAYLIS
 ?? AP/GERRY BROOME ?? The U.S. flag flies at half-staff over the state Capitol in Raleigh, N.C., on Wednesday in remembranc­e of six Marines and a Navy sailor from Camp Lejeune who were among 16 service members killed Monday when their plane crashed in a field in rural...
AP/GERRY BROOME The U.S. flag flies at half-staff over the state Capitol in Raleigh, N.C., on Wednesday in remembranc­e of six Marines and a Navy sailor from Camp Lejeune who were among 16 service members killed Monday when their plane crashed in a field in rural...

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