Lockheed C-130A N466TM

Summary

On 1 February 2025 at about 17:30 local time, a Lockheed C-130A registered N466TM, operated by TBM Inc, was involved in an accident near Daggett, California, United States. 8 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 February 2025 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Daggett, California, United States

Coordinates

35.1001, -116.9037

Aircraft

Lockheed C-130A

Registration

N466TM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

4

Operator

TBM Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Air Drop

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Blythe → Blythe

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25LA089

2 people were seriously injured.

An inflight upset due to an improperly secured load that resulted in serious injuries.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator reported that while conducting a high-altitude airdrop test, the 25,000lb airdrop package prematurely released while the airplane was maneuvering. The airdrop package extraction parachute did not deploy, and the package exited the rear of the airplane slowly, resulting in an excessive pitch-up and right yaw of the airplane. After the airdrop package exited the cargo door, the airplane pitched down violently, resulting in serious injuries to two crew members located in the cargo compartment. The aircraft returned to the airport without further incident. A post accident inspection revealed no aircraft damage and that the cargo locks were set improperly during loading. The operator reported that the airplane had no pre accident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.