Blackwater 61 crash

Blackwater 61 was the callsign of a CASA 212 aircraft, registration N960BW, operated by Presidential Airways Inc, the aviation subsidiary of the private security contractor Blackwater USA, that crashed in the mountains of remote central Afghanistan on November 27, 2004. The turboprop airplane was carrying three military passengers and three members of the flight crew when it crashed into the highest of a range of mountains stretching west of Kabul. According to the National Transportation Safety Board investigative report of the accident, the Blackwater pilots were "behaving unprofessionally" and were "deliberately flying the nonstandard route low through the valley for fun." The accident contributed to the debate over the use of private military contractors in war-zones and Blackwater's hiring practices and standard operating procedures. Blackwater aircraft had been operating in Afghanistan under contract with the U.S. military to transport troops and supplies throughout the country. All six people aboard the aircraft died in the crash, including one who initially survived but later died awaiting rescue.

Background

Blackwater USA was founded in 1997 by former Navy SEALs, Erik Prince and Al Clark, in North Carolina as a security training firm that provided instruction to military and law enforcement personnel. Prior to the 9/11 attacks the company had $200,000 in federal contracts. However, by 2002 it was paid millions of dollars from the federal government for contracts to protect U.S. facilities and personnel overseas. Blackwater saw an even more dramatic growth after the 2003 invasion of Iraq and by 2006 had over $600 million in federal contracts.

In 2004, the company was contracted by Air Mobility Command to assist the military in its operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. The contract was a 2-year, $34.8 million deal which would require Blackwater aircraft to haul U.S. troops and equipment on short flights across the region, often between unimproved remote airstrips. At the time aircraft operated by the company included the CASA 212 and the Bombardier Dash-8. Blackwater's aviation assets fall under the Melbourne, Florida based Presidential Airways Inc. which was owned by Blackwater. Under the contract Presidential Airways would fly six regularly scheduled routes to small airfields in Afghanistan. In testimony to Congress, Erik Prince explained Blackwater's role in Afghanistan saying, "We were hired to fill that void because there is a different—it's a different kind of airlift mission going in and out of the very short strips in Afghanistan. You have high altitude, short strips, unimproved runways, and you have transport aircraft that are designed to support a large, conventional battle."

This was not the only aviation contract that Blackwater was under. It operated a fleet of MD-530 helicopters to provide security for the State Department in Iraq. The helicopters were based out of the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. One of the company's helicopters crashed in 2007 due to enemy fire.

Accident

On 27 November 2004, Blackwater 61 a Presidential Airways Inc. CASA 212, registration N960BW, took off from Bagram Air Base. The aircraft was crewed by pilot Noel English, 37, first officer Loren Hammer, 35, with flight mechanic Melvin Rowe, 43, also on board. It was carrying three passengers: Lieutenant Colonel Michael McMahon, 41, Chief Warrant Officer Travis Grogan, 31, and Specialist Harley Miller, 21, all members of the United States Army. It was also carrying 400 pounds of mortar illumination rounds. The aircraft was due to fly for two and a half hours to the southwestern city of Farah where the soldiers were based. Instead of flying the customary route that would take the aircraft due south from Bagram and then west as they reached the south of the country, the pilots, who had only been in Afghanistan for thirteen days, flew west from Bagram over extremely rugged terrain. Weather conditions in the area were good with high visibility.

A transcript of the cockpit voice recorder showed the crew were unsure about their navigation with the pilot remarking early into the flight, "I hope I'm goin' in the right valley." Near the beginning of the released transcript Rowe, the mechanic, also remarks "I don't know what we're gonna see, we don't normally go this route." The transcript also featured the pilots bantering about the flight and their job saying, "Yeah this is fun!", and "Yeah you're an x-wing fighter Star Wars man!" the co-pilot exclaimed. The pilot said "I swear to God they wouldn't pay me if they knew how much fun this was." At one point the pilots also talked about what music they should play in the aircraft. As they neared a box canyon, Rowe asks the pilots, "Okay, you guys are gonna make this right?", to which English replied "Yeah I'm hopin." Approaching the end of the canyon, the pilots struggled to avoid a crash, desperately trying to turn around. The aircraft's flaps were deployed but it was too late. The stall warning sounds and Rowe can be heard shouting "We're goin' down!" before the transcript ends. The CASA 212 crashed in the Koh-i-Baba mountain range.

All of the people aboard Blackwater 61 were killed, including both pilots who had been ejected from the aircraft. Specialist Miller initially survived the crash with a broken rib, abdominal and lung trauma, and minor head injuries. He survived for 8–10 hours before succumbing to his injuries, compounded by the freezing temperatures and shortage of oxygen.

Recovery efforts were hampered for several reasons. Blackwater did not have the infrastructure in Afghanistan capable of tracking or keeping account of its aircraft meaning the aircraft's disappearance was not noticed until a sergeant in Farah made his superiors aware the aircraft was overdue. In addition, Blackwater 61 did not have any tracking equipment aboard and no flight plan had been filed so finding the wreckage was difficult. Search and rescue teams covered the logical route extending south from Bagram to no avail. It was not until a U.S. military aircraft flying near the wreckage site picked up the signal emitted by the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) that teams located the crash site.