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A U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy trains at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 10, 2023.

A U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy trains at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Feb. 10, 2023. (Heide Couch/U.S. Air Force)

An Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy was damaged in a recent training accident at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, where the behemoth transport aircraft was towed into a light pole.

Members of the 734th Air Mobility Squadron were using the Super Galaxy for tow training when its left wing struck a pole on the flight line around 9:20 p.m. March 1, according to an email Tuesday to Stars and Stripes from Amelia Dickson, spokeswoman for the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing.

The aircraft belongs to the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., she said. No injuries resulted from the incident, which is under investigation.

The 734th is working to return the aircraft to active service as quickly as possible, Dickson added.

The Super Galaxy, at 247 feet long and 222 feet wide, is the largest aircraft in the Air Force inventory. Built by Lockheed Martin, it can carry over 280,000 pounds for 2,150 nautical miles, offload, and then fly another 500 nautical miles before refueling, according to an Air Force fact sheet.

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Matthew M. Burke has been reporting from Grafenwoehr, Germany, for Stars and Stripes since 2024. The Massachusetts native and UMass Amherst alumnus previously covered Okinawa, Sasebo Naval Base and Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, for the news organization. His work has also appeared in the Boston Globe, Cape Cod Times and other publications.

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