Afghans Inspect Damaged House After Crash
A military headquarters in Afghanistan has confirmed that a Northrop Grumman EQ-4B Global Hawk crashed in the south-east city of Jalalabad on 21 August 2011 in a still unexplained mishap. The EQ-4 is an RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 20 modified to carry the Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN). Only two RQ-4s have been modified into EQ-4s, with two more undergoing modifications.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a coalition military headquarters based in Kabul, told Flightglobal the crash occurred on 21 August, or one day later than an RQ-4 mishap recently posted on the website for the US Air Force’s accident investigation board (AIB). [Same incident surely? – Ed.] Air Combat Command, which owns the Global Hawk aircraft, said they are processing an AIB report for an EQ-4 mishap from 20 August. “The aircraft was recovered without incident. We have no reporting of the aircraft returned to service,” said ISAF.
The aircraft reportedly crashed well away from the airport in the Naranj Bagh district of Jalalabad, damaging two houses but causing no injuries. Pictures purportedly of the scene show signs of fire.
Initial reports from ISAF indicate mechanical problems were encountered during flight. While Jalalabad is home to a large and active ISAF airbase, no Global Hawks are known to be based there.
An ISAF press release from 21 August 2011 reports that an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) made a forced landing in Jalalabad. The type of aircraft was not identified, but no other incidents on that date are reported.
The AIB investigation panel is due to release its report later in 2012.
Source: Flight Global