Mountain Flying in Afghanistan is not a Joke - N960BW

Blackwater 61 was the callsign of a CASA 212, registration N960BW, operated by Presidential Airways Inc, the aviation subsidiary of the private security contractor Blackwater USA, that crashed in the mountains of remote central Afghanistan on November 27, 2004. The turboprop airplane was carrying three military passengers and three members of the flight crew when it crashed.
According to the NTSB investigative report of the accident, the Blackwater pilots were "behaving unprofessionally" and were "deliberately flying the nonstandard route low through the valley for fun." The accident contributed to the debate over the use of private military contractors in war-zones and Blackwater's hiring practices and standard operating procedures. Blackwater aircraft had been operating in Afghanistan under contract with the U.S. military to transport troops and supplies throughout the country. Five people aboard the aircraft died in the crash, while one later died awaiting rescue.
Source: NTSB final report
Simulator: X-Plane 11
Aircraft: CASA 212 from X-Plane.org
Scenery: OIAX from X-Plane Gateway
Plugin: SGES from X-Plane.org

[@batgoat28]

It wasn't hypoxia. It was bad Airmanship. They acted like a couple kids flying a 172 over farm fields in Kansas.

[@moiraatkinson]

Couldn’t the reason for the bad airmanship and acting like kids, have been even just slight hypoxia?

[@frustratedalien666]

@@moiraatkinson They ended up in the mountains because they decided to take a weird route after takeoff. The only way hypoxia would explain that would be if they were oxygen starved on the ground.

[@moiraatkinson]

@@frustratedalien666 OK, I guess the plane was pressurised? I wasn’t sure and just wondered if it could have accounted for their behaviour.

[@frustratedalien666]

@@moiraatkinson This plane can't be pressurized. What I meant was that they filled a flight plan but went off in the totally opposite direction right after takeoff. They weren't high enough at that point to experience hypoxia. They reached mountains and still they weren't high enough for hypoxia and could have turned back if they wanted to. Their bad decisions that led them into the mountains are just that - bad decisions. Maybe the last turn can be chalked up to oxygen starvation but their fate was sealed when they flew into the mountains. I doubt they'd have made it out unscathed even if they wore oxygen masks

[@moiraatkinson]

@@frustratedalien666 I see what you’re saying. You do sound like you know what you’re talking about, so I’ll forget the idea of hypoxia affecting them 😊.

[@nounoufriend1442]

The mechanic should have been pilot in control ,as at least he realized danger they had got into .unlike the pilots

[@CAROLUSPRIMA]

Excellent job. I wish more channels would feature lesser-known accidents such as this one.
Keep up the great work.

[@moiraatkinson]

Agreed 😊. Well presented video, professional and slick. Good narration and overall a breath of fresh air compared with a lot of aircraft accident channels, although there are some excellent exceptions.

[@bobmiley9587]

I flew helicopters, SK-61s for this company from 2009 to 2016 in Afghanistan. Blackwater was a great company and had many good people working for it in Afghanistan, that worked a rotational shift of 60 days in country and 30 days out. It was a tough job flying there, with not only the terrain, but the enemy trying to kill you. The first FOB I worked out of was FOB Sharana, at an altitude of 7500 feet, and I logged over 4400 hours in 7 years!

[@bobmiley9587]

BlackWater owned Presidential Airways {PAW | then we became AAR Airlift.

[@emergencylowmaneuvering7350]

Thnks for your service. Too bad Biden Backstabbed all us..

[@57Jimmy]

Excellent coverage! Complete reckless pilot operation. They had ZERO dedication to the safety of the most precious cargo being the passengers.
Two weekend cowboys thinking they could ride a champion bucking bronco when in reality they should have been riding a 5cent Hobby Horse at the grocery store under parental supervision.

[@freddiecunningham2860]

That's a pilot I can trust!

[@thewayfaringanarchists8157]

the impression of the first officer is brutal hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[@michaelosgood9876]

Hypoxia! No. This was simply a cocky crew! The mechanic knew more about what was going on here than that crew!

[@flyingdentist]

Unprofessionals!

[@TheMoneyBuddha]

clearly something else happen

[@LionZebra]

These are the kind of contractors the military spends your tax dollars on!