18 Feb 12: 4 x USAF SF killed in ISR plane crash in Africa

[The Bread Guy]

The official statement.... 

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of four airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died February 18 when their U-28 aircraft was involved in an accident near Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa.  The cause of the accident is under investigation.

            Killed were:

            Capt. Ryan P. Hall, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colo.  He was assigned to the 319th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

            Capt. Nicholas S. Whitlock, 29, of Newnan, Ga.  He was assigned to the 34th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

            1st Lt. Justin J. Wilkens, 26, of Bend, Ore.  He was assigned to the 34th Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla.

            Senior Airman Julian S. Scholten, 26, of Upper Marlboro, Md.  He was assigned to the 25th Intelligence Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla .....

.... with a bit more detail from the Wired.com Danger Room blog:

.... A spokeswoman for their home station, Hurlburt Field in Florida, said there was “no indication of enemy fire” causing their deaths.

The spokeswoman, Amy Oliver, confirmed that the crew of the single-engine U-28 had been on a mission that “had to do with ISR” — that is, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance for special operations forces on the ground. The U-28 is a small, retrofitted commercial plane that looks indistinguishable from a civilian plane to the naked eye, especially from high in the air.

As the plane returned to Camp Lemonnier, a frequent hub for special operations in pursuit of terrorists in east Africa, “the tower saw smoke coming from the aircraft.” There was no visual identification into the cause of the crash, which Oliver said was still under investigation ....

 

[jollyjacktar]

My deepest condolences to the famlies, friends and comrades of the fallen.