p, .ExternalClass A C-130 making a second landing attempt at Forward Operating Base Shank in Logar province, Afghanistan, in May came in “too fast,” causing the airplane to go off of the runway, announced Air Mobility Command. The hard landing occurred on May 19 during an aeromedical evacuation mission. “The crewmembers calmly and safely ran through their emergency response procedures to evacuate passengers to safety, resulting in no fatalities or significant injuries,” states AMC’s Oct. 8 release, which summarizes the findings of the command’s accident investigation board. There was a weather advisory that day at Shank’s high-altitude airfield for winds gusting at 25 knots to 35 knots, according to the release. The C-130 and aircrew were operating as part of the 772nd Airlift Squadron at Kandahar Airfield. The aircraft was deployed from the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock AFB, Ark. (AIB report; caution, large-sized file.)
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.