US Army National Guard Planes Are Literally Falling Apart Mid-Flight

A Mississippi Army National Guard aircraft lost a tail cone during a training mission on Wednesday. The debris landed in the yard of a home in the town of Pearl, a suburb of the state capital Jackson.

Mississippi residents, beware: while you enjoy BBQ in the backyard, debris from US military aircraft may rain down on you from the sky.

As with so many things, it's only funny until someone gets hurt. Luckily, nobody on the ground was injured this time. The plane also safely landed at the Jackson airport.

Military officials explained that the tail cone piece was part of a National Guard transport Boeing C-17 Globemaster, which transports troops and cargo around the world. The aircraft was on a training mission when the piece fell off.

"I heard this loud ‘boom.' I didn't know what it was. Then I heard a loud sound behind me like something fell," witness Wyneta Smith told WLBT-TV, adding that the tail first hit the highway and then bounced into the yard.

Lt. Col. Christian Patterson of the Mississippi Army National Guard said in a news release that the plane is assigned to Flowood's 172nd Airlift Wing based at Jackson-Evers International Airport.

The incident is currently under investigation.