2005 Royal Air Force Hercules shootdown
XV179, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in July 1987 | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 30 January 2005 |
| Summary | Hostile ground fire |
| Site | Iraq 33°31′53.7″N 44°02′55.5″E / 33.531583°N 44.048750°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed C-130K Hercules C1 |
| Operator | Royal Air Force |
| Registration | XV179 |
| Flight origin | Baghdad |
| Destination | Balad |
| Occupants | 10 |
| Passengers | 2 |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 30 January 2005 a Royal Air Force Lockheed C-130K Hercules C1, serial number XV179, callsign Hilton 22, was shot down in Iraq, probably by Sunni insurgents, killing all 10 personnel on board. At the time, the incident was the largest single loss of life suffered by the British military during Operation Telic.
The Board of Inquiry report in December 2005 identified the lack of a fire-suppressant system as a contributory factor. In September 2006, the British Channel 4 News aired an article criticising the Ministry of Defence for having fitted only one C-130 Hercules with a foam fire-suppressant system. The RAF had ordered a retrofit of this system to all front-line C130 aircraft, a system which could well have prevented the loss of aircraft XV179 and its crew.