2019 Chilean Air Force C-130 crash
C-130 Hercules · Crashed into the sea
From Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL) to Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Airport (TNM)
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 38 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- 38
- Survivors
- 0
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- Unknown
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Military
C-130 Hercules
- Aircraft type
- C 130 HERCULES
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- 990
- Operator
- Chilean Air Force
- Onboard fatalities
- 38
- Route
- From Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport (SCL)To Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Airport (TNM)
Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.
From the Wikipedia article
On 9 December 2019, a Chilean Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft crashed in the Drake Passage while en route to Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, a Chilean military base on King George Island in Antarctica. The crash site was located on 12 December 2019 after a three-day search, and no survivors were found.
Accident
The aircraft departed Punta Arenas in Patagonia, Chile, at 19:55 UTC (16:55 local time) bound for King George Island, Antarctica. The flight was intended to provide supplies to a base in the Chilean Antarctic Territory and to bring personnel to inspect a floating fuel supply line and other equipment. The Chilean Air Force flies from Punta Arenas to King George Island monthly. Radio contact with the plane was lost at 21:13 UTC.
Crash site
One day into the search, debris from an aircraft was found floating in the sea 31 km from the last known position of the missing aircraft. Debris and personal items were recovered by the Brazilian Navy polar research ship Almirante Maximiano.
The crash site was located off the coast of South America on 12 December, 27 km from the C-130's last known position. The aircraft fuselage and main components were identified, along with human remains. Chilean Air Force chief Arturo Merino confirmed that everyone on board had been killed.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
An accident investigation is being conducted by the Chilean Air Force. As of December 2019, the cause of the crash is unknown, due in part to an insufficient quantity of recovered components. The aircraft experienced a complete break-up, either in flight or after crashing into the sea.
Text from the Wikipedia article “2019 Chilean Air Force C-130 crash” (revision 1359113637, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: 2019 Chilean Air Force C-130 crash
- Revision
- 1359113637 · 2026-06-13 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q78069997
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "2019 Chilean Air Force C-130 crash" (page 62551100, revision 1359113637)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site; country from Wikidata (P17)
- Map position
- Wikipedia article coordinates
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- operator named as an armed force or military unit in the infobox
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.