The North Carolina Air National Guard announced that four if its airmen from the 145th Airlift Wing in Charlotte died on July 1 when their Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130 crashed while fighting a woodland fire in southwestern South Dakota. Two other crew members were injured in the crash and remain hospitalized, according to the wing’s release. The deceased 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 SMSgt. Robert S. Cannon, 50, of Charlotte. “Words can’t express how much we feel the loss of these airmen,” said Brig. Gen. Tony McMillan, 145th AW commander. “Our prayers are with their families, as well as our injured brothers as they recover.” Mikeal was an evaluator pilot with the 156th Airlift Squadron. McCormick was an instructor pilot and chief of training for the squadron. David was a navigator assigned to the squadron. Cannon was a flight engineer with the 145th Operations Support Flight. Air Guard officials are not releasing the names of the injured. The cause of the crash is unknown and is under investigation.
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
