List of C-130 Hercules Crashes

List Of C-130 Hercules Crashes

In general, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a highly reliable aircraft: the Royal Air Force (RAF) recorded an accident rate of about one aircraft loss per 250,000 flying hours over the last forty years, making it one of the safest aircraft they operate. United States Air Force (USAF) Hercules (A/B/E-models), as of 1989, had an overall attrition rate of 5 percent as compared to 1 to 2 percent for commercial airliners in the U.S., according to the NTSB, 10 percent for B-52 bombers, and 20 percent for fighters (F-4, F-111), trainers (T-37, T-38), and helicopters (H-3). However, more than 15 percent of the approximately 2,350 production hulls have been lost, including 70 by the USAF and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) during the Vietnam War. Not all US C-130 losses have been crashes, 29 of those listed below were destroyed on the ground by enemy action or other non-flying accidents. As of July 4, 2012, this is thought to be a complete listing through July 1, 2012, but omits the JC-130A tested to destruction (53-3130, c/n 3002) and airframes retired or withdrawn from service in the course of useful operational lives. By the nature of the Hercules' worldwide service, the pattern of losses provides a barometer of global hotspots over the past fifty years.