U.S. Military Aircraft Crashes in Philippines; Four Killed and Plane Split in Two
Four people were killed in an accident involving a US military plane in the Philippines.
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A small aircraft contracted by the U.S. military crashed in southern on Thursday, February 6, 2025. The accident claimed the lives of at least four people on board. The U.S. Embassy has confirmed the crash without providing further details, as reported by Channel News Asia.
The Philippine military stated in a release that they cannot disclose information about the accident on Mindanao Island, citing an ongoing investigation and classified matter.
A small number of U.S. personnel are on short-term rotational deployment in the Philippines. The country hosts the U.S. military to combat militants linked to the active ISIS group in Mindanao.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii did not immediately respond to inquiries, CNA reported.
Local police spokesperson Jopy Ventura mentioned that authorities have yet to determine the cause of the fixed-wing aircraft's crash in a farm near the municipality of Ampatuan.
Reuters reported that casualties include one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors. Police and military personnel have been deployed to the site to prevent potential tampering with evidence.
Municipal rescue official Rhea Martin mentioned that their team found four bodies at the plane crash site. "The bodies were found near the plane," she said. "The plane was cut in half."
The aircraft's tail number, identified by police as N349CA, is registered in the name of defense firm Metrea, according to FlightAware, which identified it as the Beechcraft Super King Air B300.
The Metrea website describes the company as a leading provider of “effects-as-a-service” to national security partners across multiple domains and over a dozen mission areas.
CNA | REUTERS
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