A team of divers will search fish ponds and other water sources at the site of the crash of a KC-130 military plane in western Leflore County as part of the recovery phase of the investigation.
Six divers will assist the search on Thursday morning, but it is unknown which organization they are associated with, according to Fred Randle, Greenwood-Leflore emergency management coordinator.
On July 10, a KC-130 transporting 15 Marines and one Navy sailor crashed near the Leflore County/Sunflower County border. U.S. Marines and other military, state and law enforcement entities have continued the investigation to determine the cause of the crash and to search for debris.
As of this morning, the cause of the crash was still unknown, and Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said teams were still picking up debris of the plane with the intent of piecing it back together to determine the cause.
Almost all of the weapons loaded onto the aircraft have been found, but the search will continue, Banks said.
The crash site area is also still blocked off by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the scene continues to be treated as “an active scene,” Banks said.
“I don’t have any idea how long it is going to be, and I don’t think they (Marines) have any idea,” Banks said. “I think they are going to stay out there until they are satisfied with what they have found.”
The U.S. Marine Public Affairs office was unavailable to comment.
The Sheriff’s Department is no longer searching for debris on site but still has officers at the business incubator building on U.S. 82, he said.
“We are just out there to assist them in any way we can,” Banks said.
Randle continues to stay on the site and assist the Marines with the investigation. He answers to Banks and county supervisors, and his role in the investigation has been as incident commander of the scene.
“Never in my career, in my livelihood, did I think I would be dealing with a C-130 military plane crash here in the Delta.” he said.
“We were well prepared for it, and I was prepared for it.”
Randle’s main priority since the beginning of the mission was to find all 16 men. On the night of the crash, he and his team were on site until 4:30 a.m. the next day.
“Our main focus was to find out what happened, clean up and give the families of the victims the satisfaction of getting their loved ones back,” Randle said.
“We are improving every day, we are making great strides and it's going to take a while, but we are not in a rush.”
Randle has not handled a situation this large, with the exception of three train derailments in the county, but said he felt prepared from his 16 years of training and experience to handle the situation.
“I have been all over Mississippi during storms, disasters and tornadoes, so operating in those settings prepared me to be able to function and not break down or get overwhelmed,” Randle said.
“I breathe protecting and serving, and I think about it not as a matter of what can happen but a matter of when.”
Randle and his team have been working closely with the Marines to finish the investigation, and the group works as one entity, he said.
“When the Marines came in, we all came together as one concept, one mission. We were all on the same mission, one objective, one priority, and we worked.”
Randle said he appreciates all those who contributed from the community or helped with the investigation. He urges the Greenwood community to give back to the Marine families who lost loved ones in the crash.
“I just want to let Mississippi know and everybody who had a part in this operation, that I say thank you,” Randle said.
“That is a lot of burden off us to get that support from the community so that we can stay on task and meet our objectives.”
• Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7235 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
