[center][size=5][b]Survivors found in downed plane[/b][/size=5][/center]
[url]http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/central/06/12/afghan.crash/index.html[/url]
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An Air Force Special Operations MC-130 aircraft carrying 10 people crashed Wednesday on takeoff in eastern Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Central Command. There were some survivors, the command said.
Search and rescue teams were at the scene, officials said.
Central Command said it was not releasing the names of the seven Air Force crew members and three military passengers on board for the time being.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, but Central Command said there was no indication the plane was brought down by hostile fire.
The plane crashed around 8:30 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) near the Bande Sardeh Dam, about 40 miles southwest of the eastern Afghan town of Gardez, a region where U.S. forces have gone after al Qaeda holdouts along the Pakistan border.
Air Force Special Operations, or AFSOC, is headquartered at Hurlburt Field in the Florida panhandle.
The MC-130 is the special operations version of a C-130. Modifications include the addition of an in-flight refueling receptacle and strengthening of the aircraft tail to allow high speed/low-signature airdrop.
An upgraded navigation system enables the aircraft to locate and either land or airdrop on small, unmarked zones with pinpoint accuracy day or night.
The model is known as the Combat Talon, whose primary function is dropping off, picking up or supplying special operations forces.
The Combat Talon first flew in the 1960s and was extensively used in Southeast Asia.
A KC-130, another refueling and transport version of the aircraft, crashed in western Pakistan in January, killing all seven Marines on board.