A U.S. Air Force Bombardier E-11A crashed in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on Monday, killing both service members on board. A spokesperson for the U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said that the remains of the victims were recovered on Tuesday along with the aircraft’s flight data recorder. The remnants of the aircraft were then destroyed by U.S. troops. As per U.S. Department of Defense policy, the names of the victims will not be made public until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
“The cause of the crash remains under investigation, however there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire,” U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said in a statement. “The remains were found near the crash site, treated with dignity and respect by the local Afghan community, in accordance with their culture.”
The aircraft was reportedly operated by the 430th Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron as a Battlefield Airborne Communications Node (BACN). The 430th, which flies four E-11A BACN aircraft, is stationed at Kandahar Air Base in Afghanistan. The E-11A is the military version of Bombardier’s Global Express business jet.
