Airman falls from USAF C-130 While Training Over Gulf of Mexico: Reports

An airman reportedly fell from a USAF C-130 military transport aircraft into the Gulf of Mexico off Florida coast, on Tuesday evening.

The fall happened during a parachute-jump training exercise out of Hurlburt Field, media outets reported, citing a statement released by 24th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida.

According to reports, the Coast Guard crews are searching for the missing airman who  “exited his aircraft during a jump training scenario over the Gulf of Mexico approximately 4 miles south” of the installation.

The Coast Guard said the airman, identified only as a staff sergeant, dropped about 1,500 feet into the water and his parachute deployed. Crew members aboard the C-130 initially saw the airman treading water but lost sight of him while making a turn in an effort to pick him up, WEAR-TV of Pensacola, Fla., reported.