What happened
On April 27, 2013, an MC-12W, registration 09-0676, crashed into the ground approximately 110 nautical miles northeast of Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The aircraft, operated by the 361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, was conducting a combat intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission under the callsign Independence 08.
The flight departed from Kandahar Airfield at 1157L and reached its orbital pattern at 1229L. During the mission, the crew identified an enemy combatant and was attempting to reposition their orbit to improve mission effectiveness. At approximately 1241L, the aircraft was in the process of climbing from 20,000 feet to 23,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) in an effort to fly above developing weather conditions. At 1243L, the aircraft struck the terrain.
All four crew members—consisting of the pilot, mission commander, sensor operator, and tactical systems operator—were killed upon impact. The aircraft was completely destroyed during the accident.
Findings
The investigation noted that the aircraft was operating in deteriorating weather conditions at the time of the impact. The crew was actively attempting to climb through the weather to maintain mission capabilities while simultaneously adjusting their flight path to track a target of interest.