The Marine Corps grounded its remaining KC-130T aircraft as an investigation into the July 10 airplane crash continues, the service announced today.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Marine Corps took the prudent action not to fly our KC-130T aircraft in the wake of the mishap on July 10 until further notice,” Marine Corps Forces Reserve spokeswoman Lt. Stephanie Leguizamon told USNI News today.
The grounding was first reported by Defense News.
Only 12 KC-130T airplanes remain in the Marine Corps, all of them belonging to Marine Air Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 452. It was that squadron that was involved in the July 10 crash that killed 16 Marine reservists and members of a Marine special forces unit. The rest of the Marine Corps has upgraded to the newer KC-130J model. Leguizamon said only the 12 KC-130Ts are affected by the grounding, not the KC-130Js.
VMGR-452’s parent command, the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing within Marine Corps Forces Reserve, made the decision to ground the remaining KC-130Ts while an investigation into the crash continues. Leguizamon said she could not comment on the ongoing investigation.
