In September of 1988, a C-130 was on its first leg of a European deployment for a two-week exercise.  Approximately six hours into the flight at FL270, the #3 engine gearbox exploded and shot shrapnel out the right side. Unfortunately, a piece of the shrapnel hit the #4 propeller, causing massive damage.

In this episode of Oddball Pilot Radio, I discuss the incident with Evan Smith, the pilot in the left seat of the aircraft. You’ll also hear excerpts from the cockpit voice recorder tape–from the moment the gearbox comes apart, until they get the tough old Herk on the ground.

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Entire Cockpit Voice Recording

Right-click to download the MP3 file (29 minutes – 13.8 MB)

Photos