USAF C-130 crashed on last flight, was headed to be decommissioned after 50+ years

This year has been so tragic for the aviation community. It seems to me there's an underlying issue...somewhere...that MUST be addressed.

Speaking as someone who didn't "make the cut", I know first-hand that these folks, regardless of branch, are indeed the "Best of the Best". Maybe there are simply not enough to go around to avoid mistakes made from high op-tempo. Perhaps the aircraft are being wrung-out far beyond their intended service life while the DOD keeps investing in "miracles", rather than updated designs based on the tried-and-true.

All I do know is that I still have close friends going into harm's way each time they go up...and I pray for their safety.

This is sad news indeed and I pray for the crew members and their families. But some false information is already being put out there that disturbs me.

For instance, the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rico Guard, Isabelo Rivera is claiming the C-130 was 60 years old and that PR ANG always gets the oldest aircraft. However the C-130 that crashed was a WC-130H (65-0968) that was built in 1965. Clearly not 60 years old.

I hate it when folks try to make some political statement out of a tragedy such as this.

This is going to be very difficult for the accident investigators to reconstruct.