All 17 airmen aboard the C-5 transport aircraft that crashed this morning at 6:30 a.m. near Dover AFB, Del., have survived, Air Force officials confirmed this afternoon. Various news reports said that the airmen, who are from the 436th Airlift Wing and 512th Airlift Wing (AFRC) at Dover, were taken to two area medical facilities, and some of them were walking on their own.. The airlifter reportedly crashed only minutes after taking off from the Air Mobility Command facility after experiencing some kind of mechanical problem. It was attempting to land back at Dover, when it crashed short of the runway, breaking into three pieces.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
