Some folks in North Carolina couldn’t believe their eyes, as a three-ton Humvee came floating down from the sky.
An Air Force C-17 dropped the Humvee by parachute over their neighborhood, miles away from the intended target.
Fort Bragg spokesman Tom McCollum told news outlets that three parachutes opened as planned and the three-ton vehicle landed today in a wooded area between two homes between the Johnsonville and Spout Springs communities in Harnett County, about 7 miles north of Fort Bragg’s drop zones.
No injuries were reported on the ground, and the military quickly dispatched a crew to pick up the vehicle with a crane and cart it away.
Local residents saw parachutes in the sky carrying a heavy load and then heard a loud crashing sound, which sent some running for their lives.
“This is the place where our kids play and run,” Shatwana Ross told WRAL. “Luckily, they were in school when this happened because that’s normally where they’re at.”
McCollum said the heavy drop was part of a test conducted by soldiers from the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate.
“Everything went as planned except for the early release,” said McCollum.
The unit tests new equipment and procedures to support the aerial delivery and transportation of military equipment.
Michael Novogradac, a spokesman for the US Army’s Operational Test Command, said the military is investigating what caused the aircraft to prematurely drop the Humvee while flying at 1,500 feet.