Petro questions use of secondhand planes by Colombia’s military after deadly crash

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday questioned the use of secondhand planes by the country’s armed forces, as officials investigate the crash of a military transport plane that killed dozens of soldiers in southwestern Colombia.

“An army cannot defend its own people with crappy gifts,” Petro wrote on X in reference to the Hercules CJ-130, which was donated to Colombia by the United States. “They give away whatever is useless to them — and the ‘gift’ ends up costing more than buying it new.”

On Monday a military transport plane crashed shortly after taking off in Colombia’s Putumayo province, with the Defense Ministry reporting Tuesday that 67 members of the armed forces and two policemen were killed in the accident. Officials said that 57 soldiers were rescued alive from the crash site in the remote municipality of Puerto Leguizamo, and were being treated for their injuries in the capital, Bogota and elsewhere.

The Hercules CJ-130 was donated by the U.S. to Colombia in 2020 under a cooperation agreement that also included the donation of two other used Hercules planes.

In 2023, the plane went through a detailed revision known as an overhaul, in which its engines were inspected and key components were replaced.

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