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Breaking News

Details Sketchy on U.S. MC-130 Crash

Aired June 12, 2002 - 15:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. The story we've been telling you about for the past couple of minutes, a U.S. MC-130 special operations aircraft has crashed on takeoff in Afghanistan.

Our CNN Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, has been working this story since we first got word. Jamie, what more can you tell us?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we're just getting initial reports, but it appears that a U.S. Air Force MC- 130, with somewhere between 10 and 15 people onboard, crashed on takeoff from the forward operating base in Afghanistan near the Gardez area. That's about 80 miles southwest of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

Again, just initial sketchy reports. No indication at this point of hostile fire.

The MC-130 is a special operations version of the C-130. It's essentially used to transport troops in and out of battle zones. They're mostly operated by the U.S. Air Force. We're told that this plane, which can carry several dozen people, was not full. It's believed it just had basically a crew and perhaps a few other people. Again, the number we're told is about between 10 and 15 people.

We have no indication at this point of who, if any -- if there have been any casualties, have been any survivors, what condition the plane was in. No indication of hostile fire at this point, but the plane apparently did crash upon takeoff, just a short while ago, in Afghanistan.

We'll have more details, obviously, as soon as they become available -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jamie, do you know if they were taking off on a real live mission?

MCINTYRE: Well, everything in Afghanistan these days is a real live mission, but there isn't an active bombing campaign or anything like that going on. There aren't active operations, but this is still considered a war zone, so it was a, quote "real life mission," not a training exercise.

But at this point we have very few details about exactly what this plane was doing.

PHILLIPS: All right, our Jamie McIntyre.

Once again, if you are just joining us, a U.S. Air Force MC-130 special operations aircraft has crashed on takeoff in Afghanistan.

Jamie brought us as much information as possible. He's still working that story. We'll bring you more as soon as we get it.

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