Window crack forces National Guard training flight to land

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — A military plane made an emergency landing at T.F. Green Airport in Warwick Tuesday after the crew noticed a crack in one of the cockpit windows. 

Rhode Island National Guard LTC Peter Parente said the C-130 Hercules was about 13 minutes into a routine training flight out of Quonset when the crack was discovered.

The pilots consulted with Quonset National Guard Base and decided to cut the flight short and immediately touch down at T.F. Green. Parente said the plane couldn’t go back to Quonset because the Instrument Landing System there is offline for upgrades, which is necessary for landing in stormy weather.

The worry was that the temperature difference between the air in the cabin and the air outside the plane would cause the crack to worsen, however the C-130 was able to safely land at the airport without the window breaking.

LTC Parente said the window will be fixed at T.F. Green and the plane will be flown back to Quonset once the weather improves.

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