Another US plane crash: Four killed as US military plane crashes in Philippines

The crash occurred in Maguindanao del Sur in the southern Philippines

Manila: A small plane contracted by the US Defence Department crashed in the southern Philippines on Thursday, killing all four people on board, including one US service member, the US Indo-Pacific Command said.

The crash occurred in Maguindanao del Sur in the southern Philippines. Images from the crash site, confirmed by a US Defence official, show the wreckage of a Beechcraft King Air 350 in a rice field.

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The official said the service member killed in the crash was a US Marine. It is unclear if the three Defence contractors were also US citizens.

The twin-engine turboprop aircraft was contracted by the Defence Department to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance at the request of the Philippines, Indo-Pacific Command said. The crash occurred during a “routine mission,” and the cause of the crash is under investigation.

The aircraft is registered to Metrea Special Aerospace ISR, Inc., according to publicly available data. Metrea’s website shows a Beechcraft King Air 350 ‘the type of aircraft that crashed’ and advertises “integrated, turnkey Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (AISR) solutions to our defence partners”.

The crash comes one day after new Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held his first call with his counterpart from the Philippines, Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, Jr.

According to a readout of the call, the two discussed the importance of deterrence in the South China Sea and enhancing the capabilities of the Philippine military.

“The aircraft was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” the Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement about the crash on Mindanao island.

“The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of US-Philippine security cooperation activities.”