Aftermath: Kandahar King Air

Peter Garrison

Monday, March 31, 2014 at 06:40 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

An Air Force MC-12W crashed due to a stall during an autopilot-controlled climb, caused by insufficient airspeed resulting from the use of Vertical Speed (V/S) mode without proper power management and airspeed monitoring.
The loss of control was exacerbated by pilot distraction, aerodynamic forces inducing a left yaw at high power/low speed, and incorrect recovery actions during the incipient spin/spiral.
Key takeaways include the inherent risks of V/S climb mode if airspeed isn't closely monitored, and the critical importance of pitching nose-down to recover from a spin or spiral, even if instruments or instinct suggest otherwise.

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Since 2009, 42 Air Force MC-12Ws have been deployed to war zones in the Middle East. The MC-12W is a modified Beech King Air 350, externally similar except for a plethora of antennas and several unsightly bulges, including a huge belly pack. Communications and surveillance equipment and stations for two technicians replace the usual executive amenities.

Last April, an MC-12W crashed during a surveillance mission 110 miles northeast of its base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, killing its crew of four.