IAF Hercules
IAF HerculesIAF website

The landing gear on an Israeli Air Force Hercules cargo jet malfunctioned Wednesday as it was landing at the Machanayim Airfield near Rosh Pina.

Nevertheless, the pilot managed the land the aircraft safely.

The airfield has been temporarily closed to traffic while IAF investigators probe the incident.

The C-130 Hercules is used primarily for transporting troops and equipment into various situations. Those include airlift support, aeromedical missions, weather reconnaissance, aerial spray, firefighting duties for the U.S. Forest Service and natural disaster relief missions.

The aircraft, which can accommodate anything from utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles to standard cargo and military personnel, can airdrop loads up to 42,000 pounds. It can also use its high-flotation landing gear to land and deliver cargo on rough, dirt strips.

Due to its versatility, the Hercules C-130 was the aircraft deployed in the counter-terrorist Operation Entebbe rescue mission at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on July 4, 1976.