A Lockheed C-130H Hercules of the Fuerza Aérea de Chile Grupo de Aviación Nº 10 is missing near Antarctica after radar contact was lost by ATC at 18:13 LT. There are 38 POB.
The cargo plane, identified as a Hercules C130, departed from the southern city of Punta Arenas at 4:55 p.m. local time (1955 GMT). Operators lost contact with the aircraft a little over an hour later.
“The C-130H, serial reported as 990 (construction number 4776, and former US Navy KC-130R 160628 that was supplied to Chile in July 1995), brought the personnel to check on a floating fuel supply line and other equipment at the Chilean base.”
The plane disappeared from radar and a search and rescue operation has now been launched. The air force posted a map on Twitter showing the approximate location of the plane before it went missing.
Gráfica que complementa Comunicado de Prensa #FACh pic.twitter.com/Elcbaudk48
— Fuerza Aérea de Chile (@FACh_Chile) December 10, 2019
The aircraft disappeared when it was flying over the Drake Passage, a region of water which connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Drake’s Passage, where the plane was missing, is infamous for severe weather conditions, including freezing temperatures and ferocious storms. But the air force said late Monday that the weather was good when the plane began its flight, or the mission would not have been carried out.
No emergency signals had been activated on the plane when operators lost contact, General Eduardo Mosqueira of the Fourth Air Brigade told reporters.
The Air Force statement read: “The aircraft was carrying out logistical support tasks, transferring personnel for the revision of the floating fuel supply pipeline at the base and for carrying out anticorrosive treatment of national facilities in the area.”
Comunicado de Prensa #FACh pic.twitter.com/Jfc1Oo9e1w
— Fuerza Aérea de Chile (@FACh_Chile) December 10, 2019
A statement from the Chilean Air Force said that there were 38 people on board the plane. The C-130 Hercules carried 17 crew members and 21 passengers, including three civilians. Here is the list of Missing person missing.
Comunicado de Prensa N°3 #FACh pic.twitter.com/nHphPz9t6C
— Fuerza Aérea de Chile (@FACh_Chile) December 10, 2019
The aircraft was travelling to Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva which is on King George Island, off the coast of Antarctica.
President Sebastian Pinera said he and Interior Minister Gonzalo Blumel would fly to Punta Arenas where they would meet up with Defense Minister Alberto Espina to monitor a search and rescue mission to locate the missing plane and its passengers.
Gen. Eduardo Mosqueira of the Fourth Air Brigade told local media that a search was underway and a ship was in the general area where the plane should have been when contact was lost.
Mosqueira said the aircraft would have been about halfway to the Antarctic base when it lost contact. No emergency signals had been activated, he said.
He said the plane, whose pilot had extensive experience, had been scheduled to return Monday night.
