Hurricane Hunters in hot water after flying into Martha’s Vineyard to pick up a motorcycle
Members of the famed Hurricane Hunters Air Force team based in Biloxi have found themselves in a bit of hot water after an improvised stop for some unscheduled cargo.
According to Martha’s Vineyard Times, the Hurricane Hunters plane landed in Martha’s Vineyard Airport Friday for less than a half hour. Crewman were seen loading a vintage BMW motorcycle onto the plane before returning to the air.
“While performing an off-station training mission, a U.S. Air Force Reserve crew with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron 403 wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi made an unplanned stop at Martha’s Vineyard Airport, Massachusetts March 24,” Lt. Col Marnee Losurdo told the Times.
The Hurricane Hunters are based at Keesler Air Force Base and often fly out of the Coast and into major storm systems.
“They provide surveillance of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the central Pacific Ocean for the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The unit also flies winter storm missions off both coasts of the United States,” according to their website.
The Hurricane Hunters have 10 WC-130J aircrafts, also known as Super Hercules, that are very recognizable.
When the hulking plane landed in Martha’s Vineyard, locals took notice.
“We heard the noise before we saw the plane,” Doug Ulwick told the Times. He was eating at a restaurant nearby when the plane made its landing.
Losurdo told the Sun Herald the investigation into the unplanned trip won’t be completed for a couple of weeks.
The crew may face some level of discipline, including loss or suspension of flight status, CNN reported.
