2020 United States Air Force E-11A crash

Last updated

2020 United States Air Force E-11A crash
Bombardier E-11A (11-9358).jpg
11-9358, the aircraft involved in the accident, in 2015.
Accident
Date27 January 2020 (2020-01-27)
SummaryEngine loss caused by a broken turbine blade; [1] shut-down of operating engine
Site Dih Yak District, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan
Total fatalities4
Aircraft
Aircraft type Northrop Grumman E-11A
(Bombardier Global Express)
Operator 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron, USAF
Registration 11-9358
Flight origin Kandahar International Airport
DestinationKandahar International Airport
Occupants2
Passengers0
Crew2
Fatalities2 [2]
Survivors0
Ground casualties
Ground fatalities2

On 27 January 2020, a United States Air Force Bombardier Global Express E-11A aircraft crashed in Afghanistan's Dih Yak District, Ghazni Province. Two people on board were killed, who comprised the entire crew, according to U.S. military sources. With the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in August 2021, this was the last acknowledged U.S. fatal aviation incident of the War in Afghanistan.

Contents

Accident

The aircraft crashed at 13:10 local time (08:40 UTC) in the Dih Yak District. Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. The crash site was 130 kilometers (70 nmi) southwest of Kabul, and near the village of Sado Khelo. [3] [4] Voice of America stated that all five people on board were killed. [5] The U.S. Department of Defense only confirmed two fatalities recovered at the crash site. [6] [7] Two Afghan locals died on the ground as consequence of the crash. [2]

It was originally reported to be an aircraft of Ariana Afghan Airlines, [8] [9] but the airline later ruled out this possibility, saying all its flights had been accounted for. [3] A spokesperson for the United States military confirmed the identity of the aircraft involved in the incident, which occurred in an area controlled by the Taliban. [4] A Taliban spokesperson said to Al-Arabiyah that Taliban militias shot down the aircraft killing everyone on board, including high-ranking officials. However, these reports remain unconfirmed. [10] [11] Reports circulated by state-affiliated media of both Iran and Russia suggested that the Central Intelligence Agency's chief of Iran operations, Michael D'Andrea, was killed in the crash. [12] [13] These reports are also unconfirmed, and the CIA neither confirmed nor denied the presence of its officers aboard the crashed plane. [14] [15]

On 29 January 2020, Pentagon sources identified the airmen killed in the crash as Lieutenant Colonel Paul K. Voss of Yigo, Guam and Captain Ryan S. Phaneuf of Hudson, New Hampshire. Voss was 46 years old and had served in the Air Force for 25 years; Phaneuf was 30 years old and had served for eight years. [16]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Bombardier Global Express outfitted by Northrop Grumman as an E-11A of the United States Air Force. [17] Video of the crash scene shows that the aircraft serial number was 11–9358, [18] msn 9358. The aircraft first flew in 2009 and was operated by the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron in the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node role. [19] The aircraft involved in the crash was one of only four in the United States Air Force. [3]

Investigation and findings

American military authorities opened an investigation into the incident. [4] The aircraft's flight data recorder was recovered. [2]

The investigation concluded that the crash was caused by a broken turbine blade on the left engine compounded by pilot error. [1] The crew misidentified which engine had failed. As a result, the pilots mistakenly shut off power to the right engine, believing the left engine was still intact. The failure to restart the correct engine in the air, and their attempt to return to Kandahar Air Base, substantially contributed to the mishap. With no working engines, the aircraft lacked the necessary altitude and airspeed to glide to the nearest base, forcing them to make an emergency landing on the snowy terrain, which proved too rugged to land safely. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Atomics MQ-1 Predator</span> Family of unmanned aerial vehicles

The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Conceived in the early 1990s for aerial reconnaissance and forward observation roles, the Predator carries cameras and other sensors. It was modified and upgraded to carry and fire two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles or other munitions. The aircraft entered service in 1995, and saw combat in the war in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the NATO intervention in Bosnia, the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the Iraq War, Yemen, the 2011 Libyan civil war, the 2014 intervention in Syria, and Somalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilyushin Il-76</span> Russian heavy military transport aircraft

The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967, to replace the Antonov An-12. It was developed to deliver heavy machinery to remote, poorly served areas. Military versions of the Il-76 have been widely used in Europe, Asia and Africa, including use as an aerial refueling tanker or command center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kabul International Airport</span> International airport near Kabul, Afghanistan

Kabul International Airport is located in the northern part of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is one of the country's main international airports, capable of housing over a hundred military and civilian aircraft. It is currently operated by UAE-based GAAC Holding and Afghanistan's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Activities Center</span> Covert and paramilitary unit of the American Central Intelligence Agency

The Special Activities Center (SAC) is a division of the United States Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert and paramilitary operations. The unit was named Special Activities Division (SAD) prior to 2015. Within SAC there are two separate groups: SAC/SOG for tactical paramilitary operations and SAC/PAG for covert political action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mil Mi-17</span> Family of Russian military transport helicopters

The Mil Mi-17 is a Soviet-designed Russian military helicopter family introduced in 1975 (Mi-8M), continuing in production as of 2021 at two factories, in Kazan and Ulan-Ude. It is known as the Mi-8M series in Russian service. The helicopter is mostly used as a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter, as well as an armed gunship version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Iranian Air Force C-130 crash</span> Air crash in Tehran

On 6 December 2005 at 14:10 local time, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft of the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, tail number 5-8519, c/n 4399, crashed into a ten-story apartment building in a residential area of Tehran, the capital city of Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States invasion of Afghanistan</span> 2001 multinational military operation

Shortly after the September 11 attacks, the United States declared the war on terror and subsequently led a multinational military operation against Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. The stated goal was to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had executed the attacks under the leadership of Osama bin Laden, and to deny Islamist militants a safe base of operations in Afghanistan by toppling the Taliban government. The United Kingdom was a key ally of the United States, offering support for military action from the start of the invasion preparations. The American military presence in Afghanistan greatly bolstered the Northern Alliance, which had been locked in a losing fight with the Taliban during the Afghan Civil War. Prior to the beginning of the United States' war effort, the Taliban had seized around 85% of Afghanistan's territory as well as the capital city of Kabul, effectively confining the Northern Alliance to Badakhshan Province and smaller surrounding areas. The American-led invasion on October 7, 2001, marked the first phase of what would become the 20-year-long War in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)</span>

The following items form a partial timeline of the War in Afghanistan. For events prior to October 7, 2001, see 2001 in Afghanistan.

There were 2,459 United States military deaths in the War in Afghanistan, which lasted from October 2001 to August 2021. 1,922 of these deaths were the result of hostile action. 20,769 American servicemembers were also wounded in action during the war. In addition, 18 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives also died in Afghanistan. Further, there were 1,822 civilian contractor fatalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel</span> Unmanned aerial vehicle by Lockheed Martin

The Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel, nicknamed Wraith, is an American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Lockheed Martin and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). While the USAF has released few details on the UAV's design or capabilities, defense analysts believe that it is a stealth aircraft fitted with aerial reconnaissance equipment. Introduced in 2007, it was deployed to Afghanistan in late 2007, and to South Korea two years later, in September 2009. Some images and details of the aircraft were released after Iran captured an RQ-170 in 2011. It has a flying wing design, and uses a single engine, speculated to be either a General Electric TF34 turbofan or a Garrett TFE731.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Afghanistan Boeing Chinook shootdown</span> Attack on a U.S. military helicopter in Tangi Valley, Maidan Wardak Province

On 6 August 2011, a U.S. CH-47D Chinook military helicopter operating with the call sign Extortion 17 was shot down while transporting a Quick Reaction Force attempting to reinforce a Joint Special Operations Command unit of the 75th Ranger Regiment in the Tangi Valley in Maidan Wardak province, southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan.

The following lists events from 2014 in Afghanistan.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 2016.

Events in the year 2018 in Afghanistan.

This article summarizes the history of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021).

Many aviation-related events took place in 2020. The aviation industry was impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Events in the year 2020 in Afghanistan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Losey, Stephen (21 January 2021). "Broken fan blade, shutdown of wrong engine led to fatal E-11 crash in Afghanistan, report says". Air Force Times . Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Remains of 2 US service members recovered from E-11A crash by Special Operations Forces". Connecting Vets. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Afghan plane crash: Mystery over crash in Taliban territory". BBC News. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Altman, Howard; Miller, Kent (27 January 2020). "Air Force E-11A aircraft goes down in eastern Afghanistan; US military investigating". Military Times. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  5. Tanzeem, Ayeesha. "Official: 5 Killed in Afghanistan Plane Crash". Voice of America. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  6. "U.S. forces recover bodies of two U.S. service members from site of plane crash in Taliban territory in Afghanistan". The Washington Post. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  7. Everstine, Brian W. (28 January 2020). "Crew Remains Recovered From E-11A Crash". Airforcemag. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  8. "US army investigating plane crash in Taliban-held area". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  9. "Plane crashes in Afghanistan's Ghazni province: Officials". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  10. "Taliban says it shot down plane carrying high-ranking US military personnel". Al Arabiyah. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  11. "طالبان مسئولیت سرنگون کردن یک فروند هواپیمای حامل "افسران اطلاعاتی آمریکا" در افغانستان را بر عهده گرفتند" [Response to Downing of 'US Intelligence' Aircraft in Afghanistan]. ار.اف.ای - RFI (in Persian). 27 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  12. "Iran TV uses 'Zero Dark Thirty' screenshot to claim CIA boss was killed in Afghanistan plane crash" . The Independent. 28 January 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  13. Tlis, Fatima (4 February 2020). "Unsupported Claims that CIA's Iran Chief Died in Afghan Crash". Polygraph.info . Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  14. Dozier, Kimberly (1 February 2020). "A U.S. Plane Crashed in Afghanistan. Why So Many Believed a CIA Chief Was On It". Time . Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  15. Bostock, Bill. "Iranian state TV used a photo of an actor from 'Zero Dark Thirty' to spread a wild theory that a senior CIA official was killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan". Business Insider . Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  16. "DOD Identifies Airmen Killed in E-11 Crash". Air Force Magazine. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  17. Hradecky, Simon. "No Afghan Ariana Airlines Crash". Aviation Herald. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  18. @AirportWebcams (27 January 2020). "UPDATE: Afghanistan crash" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  19. "11-9358 accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 27 January 2020.