What happened
On February 18, 2012, a United States Air Force U-28A, registration 07-0736, crashed approximately five nautical miles southwest of Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti. The aircraft, operated by the 34th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, had departed the airfield earlier that day to perform a combat mission in support of a Combined Joint Task and Force. After completing its objectives, the aircraft returned to Djiboutian airspace and arrived over the airport at 1910L to perform necessary systems checks.
During the arrival process, Air Traffic Control denied the crew's request to enter the airport pattern due to existing traffic, instructing them to fly west and descend. While executing a left descending turn toward the west, the crew reported passing through 4,000 feet MSL and indicated they would report once established on final approach. During this maneuver, the aircraft initiated a right turn followed by a reversal into a left turn. As the aircraft continued its descent, the bank angle increased to 55 degrees. The aircraft struck the ground at 1918L, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft and four fatalities.
Findings
Investigation of the flight path revealed that the aircraft experienced a steady increase in descent rate that reached 11,752 feet per minute before the impact. During this period, the crew received both "Sink Rate" and "Pull Up" aural warnings, but no corrective maneuvers were observed to address the descent or the increasing bank angle.