According to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, a U.S.-contracted surveillance Airplane Crash in the Philippines on Thursday morning, resulting in the deaths of all four personnel on board, including a U.S. military service member.
Sam Mala/AP
The crash occurred in Maguindanao del Sur, located in the southern Philippines. Images from the crash site, confirmed by a U.S. defence official, show the wreckage of a Beechcraft King Air 350 in a rice field.
The official stated that the service member killed in the crash was a U.S. Marine. It remains unclear whether the three defence contractors were also U.S. citizens.
The Indo-Pacific Command explained that the U.S. Department of Defence had contracted the twin-engine turboprop aircraft at the request of the Philippine government for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. The crash took place during a “routine mission,” and an investigation is underway to determine the cause.
Publicly available records indicate that the aircraft was registered to Metrea Special Aerospace ISR, Inc. The company’s website features the Beechcraft King Air 350—the same model involved in the crash—and advertises “integrated, turnkey airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (AISR) solutions for our defence partners.”
The incident occurred just one day after newly appointed U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had his first call with his Philippine counterpart, National Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. According to a readout of the call, the two officials discussed the importance of deterrence in the South China Sea and enhancing the capabilities of the Philippine military.
