Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, a C-130 Hercules pilot, was one of four crew members who were killed July 1, 2012, after their C-130 crashed while fighting wildfires in South Dakota. (Courtesy photo)
Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, a C-130 Hercules pilot, was one of four crew members who were killed July 1, 2012, after their C-130 crashed while fighting wildfires in South Dakota. (Courtesy photo)
Maj. Ryan S. David, a C-130 Hercules navigator, was one of four crew members who were killed July 1, 2012, after their C-130 crashed while fighting wildfires in South Dakota. (Courtesy photo)
Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, a C-130 Hercules flight engineer, was one of four crew members who were killed July 1, 2012, after their C-130 crashed while fighting wildfires in South Dakota. (Courtesy photo)
by Lt. Col. Robert Carver
North Carolina National Guard Public Affairs
7/3/2012 - CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AFNS) -- Four Airmen died and two others were seriously injured when a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped C-130 Hercules crashed July 1 while fighting a woodland fire in southwestern South Dakota.
Dead are Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, 42, of Mooresville, N.C.; Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, 36, of Belmont, N.C.; Maj. Ryan S. David, 35, of Boone, N.C.; and Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, 50, of Charlotte.
The crew part of the 145th Airlift Wing with the North Carolina Air National Guard here.
"Words can't express how much we feel the loss of these Airmen," said Brig. Gen. Tony McMillan, the 145th AW commander. "Our prayers are with their families, as well as our injured brothers as they recover."
Mikeal was assigned to the 156th Airlift Squadron as an evaluator pilot and had more than 20 years of service. He leaves behind a wife and two children.
McCormick was an instructor pilot and chief of training for the 156th AS. He was married with four children.
David was an experienced navigator and was also assigned to the 156th AS. He joined the North Carolina Air National Guard in 2011 after prior service in the active-duty Air Force. He is survived by his wife and one child.
Cannon had more than 29 years with the Charlotte unit and was a flight engineer with the 145th Operations Support Flight. He was married with two children.
The names of the injured will not be released. Both of the injured Airmen remain hospitalized.
The crew and its aircraft, along with two other 145th AS C-130s and three dozen Airmen, flew from Charlotte to Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., June 30 to assist with fighting forest fires in the Rocky Mountain region. They were due to move to a base in Cheyenne, Wyo., July 2. The crash occurred around 6:30 p.m. Mountain time near Edgemont, S.D., as the crew assisted with battling what is being called the White Draw fire. The cause of the crash is unknown and is under investigation.
North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue declared that flags will be flown at half staff July 3 and President Obama expressed condolences honoring the dead Airmen.
"The support of civil authorities during natural disasters is a key and unique mission of the National Guard," said Army Maj. Gen. Gregory Lusk, the adjutant general of the North Carolina National Guard. "The MAFFS mission is probably one of the seminal missions of the Air National Guard, representing interagency coordination between the Guard and the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Defense organizations to suppress the fires."
MAFFS is a joint Department of Defense and U.S. Forest Service program designed to provide additional aerial firefighting resources when commercial and private air tankers are no longer able to meet the needs of the forest service.
MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the U.S. Forest Service that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Retardant is discharged along the leading edge of a fire while water can be dropped directly on the flames. Once the load is discharged, it can be refilled in less than 12 minutes.
According to Forest Service records, the agency had worked with the North Carolina Air National Guard on fire suppression missions since the early 1970s.
Comments
7/19/2012 4:23:57 PM ET On behalf of us our hearts and prayers go out to all our brothers and sisters down in NC especially the families. Service before Self sometimes includes sacrifice thank you all for your service. My your God bless you all.
Jeff Springsteen, DE ANG
7/11/2012 10:23:45 AM ET @Everyone giving Chris B. a hard time.I'm sure he didn't mean it that way but in a way where no one could have prevented the aircraft from failing.Can't imagine someone purposely showing disrespect on this site.
Sean, Florida
7/10/2012 2:00:36 PM ET @Chris A maintenance issue is still a human error thing. If it is in fact a maintenance issue--that will keep the investigation open even longer as they determine what each maintainer did or did not do on the jet prior to launch. This crash is significant to everyone involved directly andor indirectly. I could go on but I digress.
Trista, California
7/10/2012 12:56:29 PM ET We speak of the crews courage and valor because that's all the families have left to embrace. One should never ever conversationalize whether a pilot a crew member or maintainer erred in some fashion. We leave that to the investigators. It is out job as brother-in-arms to stauchly support our fallen and provide comfort to the families left behind. These tragedies serve as our reminder our tools aren't toys and we could have been one of the crew one of the family or the last guy holding the wrench. Careless comments although intending no harm yet causing families pain need not be here.
Nicole, ANG
7/10/2012 12:22:27 PM ET To answer chris b: The investigation will continue until every last peice of the aircraft and remains of the crew are accounted for. The investigators will spend countless hours analyzing and writing their findings as to leave no doubt their conclusions. The report will not be released and the public will not get to see it. It is not something to debate but to respect. Most of the crews flying the MAFF are extremely capable of flying in and around forest fires. Try searching for open sources and ask pertinent in-person questions of experienced flyers and fire fighters like where updrafts and downdrafts exist in forest fires what altitude they fly in what visability is present. Now ask what happens when a plane is caught in an updraft The public articles mention the aircraft dealt with a downdraft. What happens to an aircraft caught in a downdraft It is a testament to the crew and the pilots flying the plane that any crew members survived at all. We speak of their courage and val
Nicole , ANG
7/10/2012 12:07:06 PM ET chris b. poor judgment buddy consider removing your post.
Nicole, ANG
7/10/2012 10:33:03 AM ET Thank you for your service and sacrfice to carry on this important work. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and ANG family as well.
Dawn, Layton UT
7/10/2012 7:14:50 AM ET Chris B...your comments were unadvised and thoughtless. For you to say you would rather it be a maintenance issue is offensive to me and the men and women of the North Carolina Air National Guard. You must be new to the service.You have no clue
Sgt MAC, 145AW NCANG
7/7/2012 2:56:27 AM ET Oh my goodness, this is truly heartbreaking to read. My heart goes out to their families. As an Air Force Widow, I can say it is a hard road for both surviving spouses and children. God Bless them all.
Heather Wedding, Grovetown GA
7/6/2012 1:09:57 PM ET @Chris B. Every aircrew member has made a mistake and many will tell you that they have made a mistake that if other things happened in parallel could have been very serious. The majority of crashes involve at least some level of pilot error even with other causal factors beyond the crews control. Even if there is some degree of pilot error this should not reflect negatively on the quality professionalism or heroism of this crew.
Phil, CONUS
7/6/2012 7:11:04 AM ET Many thoughts and prayers go up for these valiant airmen. May God comfort the friends and families at this time and support those in need of his care.
Rob CrawfordLTCRetTN ANG, Robins AFB GA
7/5/2012 12:17:39 PM ET The 145th out of NC are all very professional and well trained. I don't think the findings will point out pilot error
David , South Carolina
7/5/2012 11:31:01 AM ET chris b. mishap investigations on incidents like this can take a very long time. Investigators are charged with looking at every single piece of evidence that may have caused this tragedy. This includes time leading up to the mishap, events during the flight recordings, interviews, maintenance records, training records, physical evidence, and the list goes on. Nothing is ever ruled out until the evidence proves otherwise. It is a long, tedious process, but one necessary in efforts to prevent this from happening again. God bless all of them and their families in this difficult time.
Sgt D, United Kingdom
7/4/2012 11:16:19 PM ET Thank you.We understand the importance and the work.Thank you very much.AF 1965- 1969
Greg Mallory, Roundup MT
7/3/2012 9:29:41 PM ET Prayers up for the families and friends of the victims and for the injured. I pray the Jesus will comfort the survivors of these American heros and that the injured will soon be home with their loved ones..Thank you for your service and dedication. You will never be forgotten...
Bonnie , Montana
7/3/2012 8:30:22 PM ET We in South Dakota so appreciate the bravery and professionalism of these brave troops. I'm an AF widow, so I know first hand the sacrifices of military life. My heart goes out to the survivors -- be proud of your spouses and fathers. We certainly are. Much love to you all
Louise, SD - South Dakota
7/3/2012 7:10:03 PM ET So sad for the families of these heroes..God Bless them and may they find comfort in knowing their Airmen were true heroes and served their country well. R.I.P.Heroes
Janie, Oregon
7/3/2012 6:47:04 PM ET Our prayers are with the families. This is a tragic loss for them. The service these Airman did for our country are never forgotten.
Petra Atherley, Rapid City SD
7/3/2012 6:33:37 PM ET so sad because major.Ryan David is my uncle our family is so sad for that news..
John David, maryland
7/3/2012 6:31:20 PM ET i still don't understand. I get that someone is investigating the crash still, but have they ruled out pilot error yet? i can't believe that so many people with so much experience could err in such a horrible way. As much as I love the airframe and it's glorious heritage, I would rather it be a maintenance issue then a human error thing. How long does it normally take to investigate?
