Breaking News :- KC-135 down in Kyrgyzstan

[Gary]

US tanker plane 'crashes in Kyrgyzstan after take off'

A US cargo plane has crashed after taking off from an airbase in Kyrgyzstan, local reports say.

The tanker aircraft had left the US Manas airbase near the capital Bishkek, officials told AFP.

The emergency situations ministry said the plane had broken into three pieces but information about casualties has yet to be released.

Seven crew members died when a US civilian cargo plane crashed at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan on Monday.

Witnesses of the Kyrgyzstan crash told local media that they heard a boom and saw an explosion.

The transport plane was carrying a cargo of fuel when it disappeared off the radar near the mountain village of Chaldybar, close to the border with Kazakhstan, Reuters reported.

The US military uses the Manas airbase to maintain its operations in Afghanistan.

Info from BBC News

[robin]

A U.S. military refueling plane exploded in mid air and crashed in southern Kyrgyzstan on Friday, the Central Asian country's Emergencies Ministry said.

The aircraft took off from the U.S. military transit center at Kyrgyzstan's international Manas airport, which U.S. forces maintain for operations in Afghanistan, the Interfax news agency reported. The plane, used for inflight refueling, disappeared from radar screens at 3.10 p.m. (0910 GMT), as it flew near the Kyrgyz village of Chaldovar, the ministry said.

"(The plane) caught fire in the air and crashed," said a ministry official responsible for the southern Kyrgyz province of Chuisk, where Chaldovar is located, some 60 km (40 miles) from the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.

Officials did not say where the plane was heading, and the U.S. transit center has declined to comment. A civil aviation official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said storm clouds over the region could have caused the explosion, Interfax reported.

Kyrgyz Emergencies Minister Kubatbek Boronov told Russian state television there were between two and five crew members on board the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. The ministry said witnesses saw the plane explode in the air, and a local government official said that debris was scattered over a 4 to 5 km area in a nearby mountainous area.

"Everything that has burnt has been consumed, larger debris like the chassis is still burning," regional governmental official Kanat Davletov told Reuters

"(Rescue workers) on horseback have gone into the mountains to look for the crew while it is still light."

Manas, established as a military base in December 2001, is used to transport U.S. personnel in and out of Afghanistan and has been used by other international forces fighting in the country.

U.S. forces lease the facility for $60 million a year.

The contract for the transit center, located near the Manas international airport near the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, will expire in July of next year, as Washington draws down its forces from Afghanistan.

- Reuters

[Gary]

Russia blog has wreckage photos http://kloop.kg/blog/2013/05/03/mchs-am ... gy-zstana/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looking at the Reach section of the forum, they departed Mildenhall earlier yesterday morning

[Knife 04]

Unfortunately that does not look or sound good. May any that perished RIP and God bless them for their service

Who does that idiot think he is standing on the tail - show some respect man!

[GVLCN]

May they rest in peace! Thoughts go out to there families. I totally agree who is that complete idiot on the tail section?? Some spotters will do anything to get a tail number

[Blackcat1]

Such sad news, very upsetting.

RIP to them all

[Tiger Tim]

It's not been a good week.

RIP to both crews and condolences to their families

[GummyBe4r]

My condolences go out to both families

May they rest in peace

Have to agree what is that idiot doing

[BOLLO]

[Dunk]

Sad week for aviation, especially in the US of A.

RIP to all the crews.

[JAWS]

Very sad , condolences to all friends and families .

[Pune]

That is just awful news, very sad.
Condolences to all concerned.

[Knife 04]

In memory of Shell 77 and to raise funds for the the crews' families

http://campaign.customink.com/shell77

[Bucky P]

My first visit to the Hall in 14 years and I saw this aircraft sat on the ramp along with a KC10 the evening before its departure, very surreal to find out it perished 36 hours or so later. RIP to all it's crew.