MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 7 February) – The United States Indo-Pacific Command has confirmed that the aircraft that crashed Thursday in Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur was contracted by the US Department of Defense.
“The aircraft was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies. The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities,” the Command said in a statement relayed by the Information Office of the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy said in a statement Friday.
It said the four personnel on board the plane, who all perished in the crash, included one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors.
The names of the crew are being withheld pending next of kin notification, the statement said.
“The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, and we have no further details to release at this time,” it added.
The ill-fated aircraft was a Beech King Air 300 Fixed Wings and Multi-Engine Aircraft Model with body number N349CA.
Records from the Federal Aviation Administration in the US show that the airline was registered to Metrea Special Aerospace ISR Inc. of Bethany in Oklahoma.
Metrea’s website said “it is the leading provider of effects-as-a-service to national security partners across multiple domains and over a dozen mission areas.”
It further said that “Metrea delivers integrated, turnkey Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (AISR) solutions to our defense partners. Our fleet is manned by highly experienced former military pilots, ISR sensor operators and specialized maintenance teams deployed to austere, remote worldwide locations.” (MindaNews)
