On July 10, 2017, Yanky 72, a USMC KC-130T cargo plane carrying 16 US servicemen crashed into a Mississippi field, killing all aboard.

What happened

Yanky 72 was assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452) based at Stewart Air National Guard base in Newburgh, New York. The KC-130T is one of the older variants of the aircraft used by the Marine Corps. It can be configured to refuel aircraft in midair in addition to being a general purpose cargo and personnel transport plane. It is based off the C-130 Hercules, a Cold-War era stalwart that has appeared in every American conflict zone since Vietnam. These planes are the workhorses of military aviation and rarely experience mishaps.

The crew of nine NY-based Marines flew to Cherry Point, North Carolina to pick up six Marines and one Navy corpsman from the Marine 2nd Raider Battalion, an elite special forces unit. Yanky 72 was to transport the Raiders to Yuma, Arizona for pre-deployment training.

En route to Yuma, the plane suffered a "midair mishap." The plane broke apart and crashed into a soybean field near Itta Bena, Mississippi. All 16 servicemen were killed.

The full military investigation report can be read and downloaded here.

the men we lost

Row 1: Cpl. Collin J. Schaaff, Cpl. Daniel I. Baldassare, Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan M. Lohrey, Staff Sgt. William J. Kundrat

Row 2: Sgt. Dietrich A. Schmieman, Sgt. Chad E. Jenson, Sgt. Joseph J. Murray, Staff Sgt. Robert H. Cox

Row 3: Sgt. Talon R. Leach, Sgt. Owen J. Lennon, Staff Sgt. Joshua M. Snowden, Gunnery Sgt. Brendan C. Johnson

Row 4: Gunnery Sgt. Mark A. Hopkins, Sgt. Julian M. Kevianne, Capt. Sean E. Elliott, Maj. Caine M. Goyette