An aging C-130 Hercules that rescued and resupplied U.S. citizens after last year鈥檚 hurricanes crashed onto a highway in Georgia during what was supposed to be its final flight, killing all nine Puerto Ricans on board.

After more than 60 years of government service, the huge plane was being flown into retirement in Arizona, reducing Puerto Rico鈥檚 National Guard fleet to five similar planes, two of which need maintenance and aren鈥檛 being used, Adjutant General Isabelo Rivera said.

鈥淭he planes that we have in Puerto Rico 鈥� it鈥檚 not news today that they are the oldest planes on inventory鈥� among all National Guard planes nationwide, and they often face delays in getting spare parts shipped to the island, he said.

It鈥檚 too early to say what might have caused the plane to drop out of the sky onto Georgia鈥檚 Highway 21 moments after taking off from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Rivera said the plane last received maintenance at the military base in Savannah in April.

All nine crew members had helped with hurricane recovery efforts as part of the 198th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the Bucaneros, which flies out of Base Muniz in the northern coastal city of Carolina, Rivera said. The squadron used the plane to rescue Americans from the British Virgin Islands after Hurricane Irma, and later supplied food and water to Puerto Ricans desperate for help after Hurricane Maria.

鈥淭he National Guard is an extended family,鈥� Rivera said as doctors, psychologists and chaplains gathered to meet with the victims鈥� relatives.

The huge plane came down so hard that the only part still intact was its tail section, said Chris Hanks, a spokesman for the Savannah Professional Firefighters Association. The fuselage appeared to have struck the median, and pieces of its wings, which spanned 132 feet (40 metres), were scattered across lanes in both directions.

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The debris field stretched 600 feet (183 metres) in diameter, Effingham County Sheriff鈥檚 spokeswoman Gena Bilbo said.

鈥淚t miraculously did not hit any cars, any homes,鈥� she said. Eight hours after the crash, she confirmed that 鈥淭o our knowledge there are no survivors.鈥�

Motorist Mark Jones told the Savannah Morning 亚洲天堂 that he saw the plane hit the road right in front of him, and explode in a huge fireball.

鈥淚t didn鈥檛 look like it nosedived, but it almost looked like it stalled and just went almost flat right there in the middle of the highway,鈥� Jones said.

鈥淚鈥檓 still shook up and shaking. My stomach is in knots because I know they鈥檙e people just like me. I wasn鈥檛 that far from it and I could have just kept going and it would have been me and we wouldn鈥檛 be talking right now,鈥� Jones said.

The U.S. territory鈥檚 Gov. Ricardo Rossello expressed his sadness, tweeting that 鈥渙ur prayers are with the families of the Puerto Rican crew.鈥�

President Donald Trump tweeted that he had been briefed on the crash, and sent 鈥渢houghts and prayers for the victims, their families and the great men and women of the National Guard.鈥�

I have been briefed on the U.S. C-130 鈥淗ercules鈥� cargo plane from the Puerto Rico National Guard that crashed near Savannah Hilton Head International Airport. Please join me in thoughts and prayers for the victims, their families and the great men and women of the National Guard.

鈥� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

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Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Associated Press writer Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Russ Bynum And Danica Coto, The Associated Press