UPDATE III:
The Stars and Stripes provides information on the seven American civilians killed when their National Air Cargo plane crashed Monday near Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.
Six of the victims were from Michigan and a seventh was from Kentucky, according to Shirley Kaufman, National Air Cargo vice president.
Those killed were pilots Brad Hasler of Trenton, Mich. and Jeremy Lipka of Brooklyn, Mich.; first officers Jamie Brokaw of Monroe, Mich. and Rinku Summan of Canton, Mich.; loadmaster Michael Sheets of Ypsilanti, Mich.; and maintenance crewman Timothy Garrett of Louisville, Ky., and Gary Stockdale
The Boeing 747-400 was bound for Dubai and was owned by National Airlines, an Orlando, Florida-based subsidiary of National Air Cargo. It was carrying vehicles and other cargo. The company carries cargo both commercially and for the military and employs about 225 people, according to the Stripes.
Read more here
UPDATE II:
More bad news.
The Stars and Stripes reports that all seven people aboard the cargo plane that crashed north of Kabul shortly after takeoff from Bagram Air Field were killed and that emergency crews were still on the scene early Monday evening, according to an official with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
The ISAF did not identify the victims, the type of aircraft involved, or the company that owned it, according to AP.
The Stripes:
The plane crashed on the runway and a wing caught fire, according to Zamarai Nasari, the police chief for Bagram district, where the base is located.
The international military coalition relies heavily on contracted aircraft to haul troops and supplies across Afghanistan, where poorly maintained roads and buried bombs make ground transport difficult and dangerous.
The Stripes mentions other recent aircraft accidents involving coalition aircraft, in addition to the MC-12 aircraft crash over the weekend:
On April 3, an F-16 fighter-bomber crashed about 10 miles south of the Bagram Air Field runway. The pilot, who was killed, was returning from a routine air support mission.
In March, two helicopters crashed within a week. The pilot of an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter died when the chopper crashed in Kandahar province. A Black Hawk crashed outside Kandahar city, killing five U.S. servicemembers.
In all of those instances, the NATO-led coalition said there was no enemy activity reported in the area.
In February, a U.S. helicopter crashed in eastern Kapisa province. Coalition officials said no one was seriously injured in that incident, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility. It, too, was under investigation.
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UPDATE I:
The Washington Post reports yet another aircraft crash in Afghanistan.
According to the Post, a civilian cargo aircraft crashed at Bagram Air Field, north of the Afghan capital, soon after takeoff on Monday, as reported by the U.S.-led military coalition.
It is not immediately known if there were casualties, however, according to the Post, the Taliban were quick to claim responsibility for the crash, but the coalition denied that, saying: “Taliban’s claims are false. There was no enemy activity or involvement during this incident.”
The Post:
The coalition said emergency crews rushed to the scene and were assessing the situation.
Capt. Luca Carniel, a coalition spokesman, said the aircraft crashed from a low altitude right after takeoff. He had no information about how many people were on board or the name of the company operating the aircraft.
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Original post:
Most of us have heard the tragic news of a coalition MC-12 Liberty aircraft that crashed this weekend in Zabul province, southern Afghanistan.
The Army Times reports that four service members were killed in the crash:
The four Air Force service members, whose bodies were recovered, were deployed to the 361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron with the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing at Kandahar Air Field, the statement said. The cause of the accident is under investigation, but NATO has said initial reports indicate there was no enemy activity in the area where the plane went down.
According to the Army Times, “The twin-engine turboprop plane provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or direct support to ground forces.
Today, the Department of Defense announced the names of the four airmen who died in the crash in support of Operation Enduring Freedom:
Capt. Brandon L. Cyr, 28, of Woodbridge, Va. He was assigned to the 906th Air Refueling Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
Capt. Reid K. Nishizuka, 30, of Kailua, Hawaii. He was assigned to the 427th Reconnaissance Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.
Staff Sgt. Richard A. Dickson, 24, of Rancho Cordova, Calif. He was assigned to the 306th Intelligence Squadron, Beale Air Force Base, Calif.
Staff Sgt. Daniel N. Fannin, 30, of Morehead, Ky. He was assigned to the 552nd Operations Support Squadron, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.
Our deepest condolences go to the families of these four heroes.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.