Inside a U.S. Air Force special-mission fatal accident.
January 2021
The fatal crash of a U.S. Air Force special-mission Bombardier Global Express on Jan. 27, 2020, was caused by the flight crew’s error in determining which Rolls-Royce BR710 engine had catastrophically failed and subsequently shutting down the working, right-hand-side powerplant, according to a recently released USAF Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AIB) report. Contributing factors were the crew’s failure to airstart the right-hand-side engine and their decision to “recover the aircraft to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.”
Designated as E-11A by the USAF, the aircraft suffered an in-flight failure of the left engine one hour and 45 minutes after takeoff. A fan blade broke free from the left engine, causing the left engine to shut down. “Approximately 24 seconds after the initial incident, the crew shut down the right, and only operable, engine, resulting in a dual-engine-out emergency,” the USAF said. “The aircraft was approximately 230 nm from Kandahar Airfield when the dual engine out occurred, and neither engine airstarted to provide any usable thrust.”