Aerospace World

摘要

An MC-130H Combat Talon Il spe-cial operations aircraft on March 31 crashed in Albania, killing nine airmen. The crash occurred during a nighttime training mission in a remote, mountainous region about 35 miles southeast of Tirana, the capital of Albania, according to a USAF news release. The aircraft was assigned to the 352nd Special Operations Group, based at RAF Mildenhall, Britain. Eight of the airmen were with the 352nd SOG's 7th Special Operations Squadron and one with the 25th Intelligence Operations Squadron. The airmen were: Capt. Todd Bracy, 34, of Murphysboro, Ill.; Capt. James Cronin, 32, Elk Grove Village, Ill.; TSgt. James Henry, 30, Valparaiso, Fla.; Capt. Surender Kothakota, 30, Fayetteville, N.C.; CMSgt. Lawrence Gray, 40, Chester, S.C.; TSgt. Glenn Lastes, 39, Southington, Conn.; SSgt. Patrick Pentico, 32, Hanksville, Utah; and Capt. Gil Williamson, 31, Dike, Tex. US and Albanian rescue crews assisted in the recovery operation. The Combat Talon Il aircraft was participating in joint training with the Albanian military when it went down. Officials are investigating the cause of the accident.