page_title: Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
section_title: Accidents and notable incidents
hierarchical_section_title: Boeing C-17 Globemaster III / Accidents and notable incidents
caption_attribution_description: English: Crash recovery and emergency management crews survey a C-17 Globemaster III Jan. 31 as it rests on the active runway of Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, after landing Jan. 30 with its landing gear retracted. More than 120 Airmen, Defense Department civilians and contractors successfully removed the crippled aircraft from the runway Feb. 2 and restored full airfield operations shortly thereafter. The "belly up," or no landing gear, recovery effort was the first in the airframe's 16-year Air Force history.
context_page_description: The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previous piston-engined military cargo aircraft, the Douglas C-74 Globemaster and the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II. The C-17 commonly performs tactical and strategic airlift missions, transporting troops and cargo throughout the world; additional roles include medical evacuation and airdrop duties. It was designed to replace the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, and also fulfill some of the duties of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, freeing the C-5 fleet for outsize cargo.
  Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, continued to manufacture C-17 aircraft after the merger. The transport is in service with the U.S. Air Force along with air arms of India, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, NATO Heavy Airlift Wing, and Kuwait. The final C-17 was completed at the Long Beach, California plant and flown on 29 November 2015.
context_section_description: On 10 September 1998, a USAF C-17 (AF Serial No.96-0006) delivered Keiko the whale to Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, a 3,800-foot (1,200 m) runway, and suffered a landing gear failure during landing. There were no injuries, but the landing gear sustained major damage. After receiving temporary repairs, it flew to a nearby city for further repairs.
  On 10 December 2003, a USAF C-17 (AF Serial No. 98-0057) was hit by a surface-to-air missile after take-off from Baghdad, Iraq. One engine was disabled and the aircraft returned for a safe landing. It was repaired and returned to service.
  On 6 August 2005, a USAF C-17 (AF Serial No. 01-0196) ran off the runway at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan while attempting to land, destroying its nose and main landing gear. After two months to make it flightworthy, a test pilot flew the aircraft to Boeing's Long Beach facility as the temporary repairs imposed performance limitations. In October 2006, it returned to service following repairs.
  On 30 January 2009, a USAF C-17 (AF Serial No. 96-0002 – "Spirit of the Air Force") made a gear-up landing at Bagram Air Base. It was ferried from Bagram AB, making several stops along the way, to Boeing's Long Beach plant for extensive repairs. The USAF Aircraft Accident Investigation Board concluded the cause was the crew's failure to follow the pre-landing checklist and lower the landing gear.
  On 28 July 2010, a USAF C-17 (AF Serial No. 00-0173 – "Spirit of the Aleutians") crashed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, while practicing for the 2010 Arctic Thunder Air Show, killing all four aboard. It crashed near a railroad, disrupting rail operations. A military investigation found pilot error to have caused a stall. This is the C-17's only fatal crash and the only hull-loss incident.
  On 23 January 2012, a USAF C-17 (AF Serial No. 07-7189), assigned to the 437th Airlift Wing, Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, landed on runway 34R at Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan. The crew did not realize the required stopping distance exceeded the runway's length thus were unable to stop. It came to rest approximately 700 feet from the runway's end upon an embankment, causing major structural damage but no injuries. After 9 months of repairs to make airworthy, the C-17 flew to Long Beach. It returned to service at a reported cost of $69.4 million.
  On 20 July 2012, a USAF C-17 of the 305th Air Mobility Wing, flying from McGuire AFB, New Jersey to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida mistakenly landed at nearby Peter O. Knight Airport. The landing followed an extended duration flight from Europe to Southwest Asia to embark military passengers before returning to the U.S. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft or the runway. It took off a short time later with ease from Knight's 3,580-foot runway to nearby MacDill AFB. The Air Force attributed the mistaken landing to a combination of pilot error and fatigue; both airfield's main runways were only a few miles apart and shared the same magnetic heading.
caption: C-17 on the runway at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, on 30 January 2009 after landing with landing gear retracted
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