After an “exhaustive investigation,” Air Force officials still don’t have “clear and convincing evidence” as to what exactly caused a CV-22 to crash April 9 near Qalat, Afghanistan, killing four and injuring the remaining 16 on board. The aircraft’s flight incident recorder and the vibration structural life and engine diagnostics control unit—collectively known as the “black box”—and its right engine were destroyed by precision guided bombs sent to ensure sensitive information in the wreckage did not fall into enemy hands, according to Air Force Special Operation Command’s release on the newly issued findings of the accident investigation board (AIB report; caution large file). Without that information, officials were unable to determine an exact cause, but the board did determine 10 factors that “substantially contributed to the mishap,” including poor weather conditions, human error, and an “unanticipated high rate of decent and engine power loss.” They did rule out loss due to enemy action, environmental brownout conditions, and vortex ring state. For more, continue to Unanswered Questions.
Seven F-22 Raptor pilots have recently been awarded one of the military’s highest decorations for their actions during operations in the Middle East. Six of the pilots were decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.