US military vehicle falls in BACK GARDEN after being dropped from plane
HORRIFIED witnesses have spoken of the terrifying moment they witnessed a US military plane drop a humvee vehicle in a back garden - seven miles away from its target.
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The three-tonne military truck was pushed out of an equipment transporter plane in Johnsonville, North Carolina.
It was meant for Fort Bragg but landed between two houses in an area frequently used by children to play.
Residents described how they heard a “boom” as the vehicle was dropped by the C-17 cargo plane before the parachute came down around it.
Resident Shatwana Ross told US TV station WRAL: “This is the place where our kids play and run.
"Luckily, they were in school when this happened because that's normally where they're at."
Another witness Orie Blue said: "I was walking, next thing I know I see one parachute right there and then I heard a boom. I just took off, and didn't look back."
One described the terrifying moment to ABC11, saying: "After the big bang I turned and looked and saw these big balloons coming towards the house here.
"I panicked because I thought it was going to cover the house or cover me up. I didn't know what it was."
This is the place where our kids play and run
The aircraft, based at Joint Air Force Base Charleston, was due to be dropped in Fort Bragg as part of the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate.
Officials have now launched an investigation, blaming an early release at 1,500ft.
Base spokesman Tom McCollum said: “They were going in for a time-on-target on Sicily Drop Zone at 1 pm.
“Everything was going well; they were at the one-minute mark to the drop zone.”
Michael Novogradac, a spokesman for the US army's Operational Test Command, added: "A load of some kind was released early and we're looking into how it happened.”