The Air Force opened an investigation after one of its new special operations plane, converted from a crop duster, crashed in a field in Oklahoma City shortly after take off.
The Oklahoma Air National Guard confirmed that one of Air Force Special Operation Command’s OA-1K Skyraider II’s crashed Thursday afternoon. The plane took off from Will Rogers Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma City, carrying one active-duty airman from the 492nd Special Operations Wing and a civilian contractor. Both crewmembers were unhurt, according to the Air Force. According to the Oklahoma City Fire Department the plane went down near SE 119th and Sooner Road in an emergency landing shortly after take off. The plane crashed into a field, hitting two power poles along the road, which ignited a fire. Emergency responders rushed to the scene, checking on the crew and then putting out the flames.
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The military and local emergency responders did not provide details into the cause of the mishap. The crash is being investigated. The Aviationist, citing flight tracking data, noted that the plane — flying under the callsign “ZORRO75” — went down southwest of Tinker Air Force Base.
It’s the first apparent mishap involving the OA-1K Skyraider II, a single-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Air Tractor AT-802U crop duster plane. The plane was developed for Air Force Special Operations Command to conduct reconnaissance missions and precision airstrikes, among other roles. After receiving its first missionized Skyraider II in April, the Oklahoma Air National Guard said that the plane “provides a cost-effective solution for supporting SOF personnel in remote locations while offering a modular design that enables rapid capability upgrades for various missions.”
Photos posted to social media by the Oklahoma City Fire Department show the plane resting in a field, with some damage to the wings, with much of the area around it disturbed. The two power line poles are knocked over or at an angle, burn marks at the base of them. The fire did not appear to reach where the Skyraider ended up. The plane itself was designed for short take offs and landings, with rough or poor airfield quality in mind.
The 492nd Special Operations Wing is based out of Hurlburt Field in Florida, however AFSOC’s training school for the plane is located at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, in partnership with the 137th Special Operations Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
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