Patriot Paradox
Posted on 11/29/2004 8:55:12 PM PST by sonsofliberty2000
Edited on 11/29/2004 10:13:42 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
The U.S. military said Tuesday it was searching for six Americans who were aboard an aircraft that went missing over Afghanistan.
It said troops and planes were scouring an area of the Hindu Kush mountains, from where it had received a signal from an emergency locator transmitter.
It was unclear if the missing aircraft crashed, and a spokesman for the military said officials had not given up hope of finding the three soldiers and three crew members alive.
"Until we can get a search team into the area, we are hoping for the best," Maj. Mark McCann said.
The civilian CASA 112 plane was operated by Florida-based Presidential Airways and was contracted to the U.S. Air Force to ferry troops and equipment around Afghanistan, McCann said.
He said all six of those on board were American citizens, but declined to identify them further.
The plane took off from the main U.S. base at Bagram, north of the capital, on Saturday, but never arrived at its undisclosed destination or any other airfield.
McCann said rescuers believed they had located an area where the plane may have come down, but had been hampered by bad weather on Sunday which coated Afghanistan's daunting mountains with snow.
Ghulam Mohammed, a senior police official in central Bamiyan province, said military helicopters were searching the nearby Baba Range, which rises to 5,060 meters (16,600 feet) but had no information on the exact location of the plane or the fate of its passengers.
McCann declined to give details, saying it could endanger troops on the ground.
Accidents have accounted for most of the more than 100 deaths of U.S. service members since Operation Enduring Freedom began in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
An American airman was fatally wounded on Oct. 20 when his helicopter, carrying a wounded Afghan election worker, crashed in Herat province due to technical problems.
The last combat deaths were those of two U.S. soldiers killed by a roadside bomb last Wednesday in Uruzgan province.
prayer heavenward <><
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/10299601.htm
U.S. Military Seeks Plane With Six Aboard
Associated Press
KABUL, Afghanistan - The U.S. military said Tuesday that it was searching for three civilian crew members and three military passengers who were aboard an aircraft that went missing over Afghanistan.
It said search-and-rescue efforts were focusing on the Hindu Kush mountains in the center of the country, from where it was receiving a signal from an emergency locator transmitter. It was unclear if the plane crashed.
Classmate on board. Class email alert states plane went down Saturday.
Fuselage is intact, Special Ops enroute.
C-130 maybe (pilot, co-pilot, loadmaster)?
Accident or hostile activity caused the crash?
Military (LTC). Thanks.
What about a Pave Low? They might have the same crew mix.
An op gone bad?
Most Afganis are NOT taleban.
Let's hope our people are safe in some simple village, getting their wounds tended to, and eating lamb and rice.
Most Afganis are NOT taleban.
Let's hope our people are safe in some simple village, getting their wounds tended to, and eating lamb and rice.
Not too surprising that Presidential Airways is a subsidiary of Blackwater:
Link All Press Releases for May 3, 2003
Blackwater USA Completes Acquisition of Aviation Worldwide Services
Melbourne, Florida based Aviation Worldwide Services owns and operates STI Aviation, Inc. Air Quest, Inc. and Presidential Airways, Inc. which specialize in military training operations and aviation transport.
Moyock, North Carolina (PRWEB) April 28, 2003 – Blackwater USA (“Blackwater”) announced today that its parent company has successfully completed the acquisition of Aviation Worldwide Services and its affiliated companies (“AWS”).
AWS is an aviation services company founded by Richard Pere and Tim Childrey focused on military training operations and aviation transport for the U.S. Government. AWS supports U.S. and other government agencies worldwide. AWS conducts business under three operating subsidiaries: STI Aviation, Inc. Air Quest, Inc. and Presidential Airways, Inc. Presidential Airways is an FAA Part 135 operation and STI Aviation is an FAA/JAA 145 repair station.
“AWS favorably complements our strategic goal of providing a “one stop” solution for all of our customer’s security and tactical training needs,” says Gary Jackson, President and CEO of Blackwater USA. “In addition to offering solutions for firearms training, steel targets and range construction and security needs, Blackwater now offers aviation and logistical solutions for its customers.” he says.
AWS will remain based in Florida and retain its current management, led by Richard Pere and Tim Childrey. “Richard and Tim lead a great team at AWS. We look forward to many synergies and cooperative ventures that will stem from this acquisition,” adds Jackson.
Pere states, “We at AWS are pleased to join the Blackwater team. We feel that we have been successful in the past few years, but we very much look forward to growing and expanding our business as well as Blackwater’s business."
Blackwater USA consists of Blackwater Training Center, Blackwater Target Systems, Blackwater Security Consulting and Blackwater Canine. Blackwater has set the standard for firearms and related training to the U.S. military, Federal agencies, Federal, State and local law enforcement as well as foreign military and law enforcement. Blackwater's 5,200 square acre facility located in Moyock, NC (35 miles South of Norfolk, VA) is the largest privately-owned firearms training facility in the nation and contains state of the art firearms ranges and training apparatus.
The following is an image of a Blackwater operated CASA-212 as used in Afghanistan. Photographed on transit through the Mediterranean region
Roger that info...
I am in country, word traveled fast about this a/c...
Brass with diplomatic security...
The numbers are about right...
First info. was that a Herc went missing, then revised to the current stated facts...
That is all-
What is a Herc?
'Herc'. C-130 Hercules.
Thanks, but I'm still clueless...
wow!
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