66 killed in Colombian Air Force C-130 Hercules crash
March 24, 2026
A Colombian C-130H has crashed after takeoff in Colombia while carrying 125 personnel. A number of personnel are known to have survived, although final numbers and casualties have not yet been released by the Colombian government. At least 66 are reported to have died, according to the Associated Press.
Colombian C-130H crashes carrying 125 personnel
A Colombian Lockheed C-130H crashed yesterday, soon after takeoff. The specific aircraft was registered FAC-1016 and was formerly operated by the US Air Force as 83-0488.
📍Puerto Leguízamo, #Colombia (🇨🇴)
— SA Defensa (@SA_Defensa) March 23, 2026
A @FuerzaAereaCol C-130H Hercules has appeared to have suffered a catastrophic crash in Puerto Leguízamo.
Will update as situation develops.pic.twitter.com/0uoD6HJg2Q
The aircraft was 43 years old, having entered service in 1983. This makes it an older aircraft, but not prohibitively old if it receives proper maintenance. There are 70-year-old C-130s still in service around the world.
Residents of Puerto Leguízamo were seen rescuing and transporting wounded soldiers on motorbikes.
The Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana) confirmed the aircraft had been carrying 114 military personnel plus another 11 crew members for a total of 125 personnel. At the time, the spokesman said some 48 personnel had been rescued.
#ATENCIÓN | Habitantes de Puerto Leguízamo transportan en sus motocicletas a los soldados que resultaron heridos en el accidente que se presentó en la mañana de este lunes.
— ÚltimaHoraCaracol (@UltimaHoraCR) March 23, 2026
Vía: @JennyAngaritaGhttps://t.co/R0kxQZ2KMp pic.twitter.com/5iLmSdbodU
Columbia is reported to have mobilised C-130, Cessna 208 Caravan, CASA C212, CASA C-295, Super King Air, Mi-17, UH-60, and UH-1 aeroplanes and helicopters to support rescue efforts.
Colombia’s fleet of transport aircraft
In its 2026 review, FlightGlobal lists Colombia as having the ninth largest fleet of military transport aircraft in the world, with 84 aircraft, placing it above Indonesia and after Turkey.
📍Puerto Leguízamo, #Colombia (🇨🇴)
— SA Defensa (@SA_Defensa) March 23, 2026
The @FuerzasMilCol has mobilized various aircraft assets to Puerto Leguízamo following the C-130 crash to retrieve injured personnel.
Aircraft:
– C-130
– Cessna 208 Caravan
– CASA C212
– CASA C-295
– Super King Air
– Mi-17
– UH-60
– UH-1 https://t.co/mtlHnx6ID5 pic.twitter.com/v5w2gTJKQA
However, most of these are small transport aircraft, with only six being C-130Hs. It is also listed as having 17 Mi-17 Colombian Army helicopters in service, although other sources say it has 20 examples in inventory.
Colombia is a large, mountainous country with often poor road infrastructure. It has been fighting an insurgency financed by the drug trade for decades. Military transport aircraft are central to its ability to counter the widespread insurgencies.
Looks like she possibly had loss of power (wing dip to left side) or was too heavy, something I had noted I was surprised by was the number of personnel onboard.
— SA Defensa (@SA_Defensa) March 23, 2026
But it is well within the range of a C-130’s potential load capability.pic.twitter.com/StZm1JFYDQ https://t.co/3rufJu1YND
El Colombiano reported, “While response efforts on the ground continue, the government announced that decisions on military modernisation will be accelerated, amid questions about the operational capacity of the Public Force.”
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Corruption, sanctions, and blame games in Colombia
In the wake of the C-130H crash, outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro took to X (formerly Twitter) with a fiery post defending his efforts to modernise the Colombian military, while attacking the country’s bureaucracy and corruption.
La renovación del armamento de las fuerzas militares es una decisión de mi presidencia desde hace años.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) March 23, 2026
Las dificultades burocráticas en la administración militar no han permitido realizar el Conpes/confis desde hace un año que lo pedí.
Si los funcionarios administrativos… https://t.co/w4lXrnvqz8
Petro stated, “That is why, against all odds, I modernised the strategic air fleet and have ordered the immediate purchase of helicopters, cargo and troop aircraft to expand transport and troop mobility in regions that have been nearly cut off due to the failure of the now-banned Russian helicopters.”
Servicing these Mi-17 helicopters has been problematic after Western sanctions imposed on Russia in 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine, which cut off Russia from servicing these Colombian helicopters.
The Mi-17s were acquired in the 2000s and 2010s, and to keep them flying, Colombia awarded a contract to the US company Vertol Systems. But the contract has been a disaster, plagued with corruption and delays.
📍#Colombia (🇨🇴)
— SA Defensa (@SA_Defensa) May 24, 2025
Progress on the current attempts to modernize the existing Mi-17 fleet of the @COL_EJERCITO.
The Colombian Army secured funding from @mindefensa last December for the recuperation of the Mi-17 fleet. pic.twitter.com/2tUUmWoK6M
Reporting in March, El Colombiano reported only five of the Mi-17s returned to service, when 11 had been planned. Colombia has fined Vertol Systems.
The publication adds, “without the MI-17 helicopters, and with the other aircraft occupied with different missions, rapid transport to respond to terrorist actions is compromised.”
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