Nearly 70 years since its first flight, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules is among the most iconic aircraft of all time. A true legend of military air transport, the model has more than 40 variants and has been acquired by around 60 countries, including Brazil, which recently retired the C-130s to use the Brand new KC-390 Millennium.
Whether transporting important supplies, putting out fires, flying in hurricanes or searching for missing people, the C-130 excels in its missions. But one of the “jobs” of this great plane earned its name Hercules.
It was April 29, 1975, one day before the Fall of Saigon, capital of what was then South Vietnam (today Ho Chin Minh). After years of a bloody conflict that still generates controversy today, the War in Vietnam was ending with the defeat of the West. As North Vietnamese troops advanced, several military installations were heavily bombed.
It was no different with the Tan Son Nhut air base. Located in former Saigon, the base housed about 100 fighter planes that were obliterated by North Vietnamese artillery. Amid the piles of burning wreckage, only one plane remained intact: a C-130A Hercules, registration number 56-0518. An old plane, originally delivered to the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1957. In November 1972, it was transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RPAF) through the Military Assistance Program.
A South Vietnamese instructor pilot, Major Phuong, ordered the crew to prepare the C-130 to leave Tan Son Nhut as soon as possible. Suddenly, that four-engine plane became the last hope for hundreds of people looking to escape the country.
A wave of desperate civilians invaded the destroyed base and crowded inside the plane. According to the USAF, there were so many people that the loading ramp at the rear of the plane could not be closed. The crew removed everything that was considered extra weight at that time, including the seats and even the belongings of the refugees at the time.
After a quick “screening”, the aircraft began taxiing with a total of 452 people on board. Of these, 32 were inside the freighter's cockpit. To give you an idea, the C-130H – a newer version than the “protagonist” of this episode – can carry 92 engers. Hércules had almost 5 times that amount.
Phuong slowly brought the plane onto the runway and braked the C-130, forcing people forward and allowing the ramp to close. Despite being overloaded by at least 10 pounds (about 4,5 tons), the aircraft took off successfully. At that moment, 56-0518 became the last C-130 Hercules to take off from Vietnam.
The problems, however, are not over yet. Major Phuong took off with plans for an 80-minute flight to the safe territory of Thailand. However, the aviator was lost for three and a half hours of flight in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand. Eventually a map was found and the navigation was fixed. The C-130 touched down at Utapao Air Base, Thailand. Everyone was alive.
As soon as it landed at the Thai base, the C-130 was “returned” to the USAF, which took the legendary plane back to the United States. The plane remained in service for another 13 years until it was retired. Today, the aircraft is preserved at Little Rock Air Force Base, in the US state of Arkansas.
Find out more: Discover five special versions of the C-130
With information Fairchild Air Force Base, 913th Airlift Group, Warbirds Resource Group.
