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Everything We Know About The Mississippi Marine Corps Plane Crash

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Jack Crowe Political Reporter
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A Marine Corps transport plane crashed in a field in rural northwest Mississippi around 4 p.m. Monday, killing all 16 people aboard, authorities said.

The cause of the crash remains unclear, but Greenwood Fire Chief Marcus Banks told The New York Times that witnesses described seeing the KC-130 aircraft break apart before crashing in a large agricultural field near the Leflore County line north of Jackson, Miss.

The Marines, who traditionally use the KC-130 for aerial refueling, have not provided any information regarding where the plane was coming from or what may have led to the accident. However, they did post a brief message to a USMC Twitter account confirming an incident had taken place.

Banks said he believes the cockpit and fuselage had fallen about a mile after breaking off of the plane’s wings, creating a roughly three-mile debris field. He said the fire department used 9,000 gallons of foam to extinguish the resulting blaze.

Local catfish farmer Andy Jones described the scene as “one of the worst fires you can imagine.”

“You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around,” Jones told the Associated Press. “It was spinning down.”

Secretary of the Interior, and Navy Seal, Ryan Zinke offered his condolences over Twitter.

He was joined by Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi.

The FBI has confirmed they have sent agents to the scene to aid in the investigation, but they do not currently believe the crash was the result of foul play.

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Jack Crowe