National Air Cargo company officials have identified seven employees who were killed Monday when their cargo plane crashed soon after takeoff from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.
Associated Press has named those killed as:
-Jamie Brokaw, 33, of Monroe, Michigan
-Gary Stockdale, 51, of Romulus, Michigan
-Brad Hasler, 34, of Trenton, Michigan
-Jeremy Lipka, 37, of Brooklyn, Michigan
-Rinku Summan, 32, of Canton, Michigan
-Michael Sheets, 36, of Ypsilanti, Michigan
-Timothy Garrett, 51, of Louisville, Kentucky
According to the National Air Cargo website, the National Airlines B747-400 was taking off for Dubai with a cargo of vehicles and "routine general cargo" went the aircraft went down. National Airlines President Glen Joerger said in a statement:
"This is a devastating loss for our family and we'll work diligently with authorities to find the cause."
The National Transportation Safety Board has sent investigators to Afghanistan to aid in the crash probe. Those investigators will no doubt use video believed to be of the crash, taken from a dashboard camera, in their inquiry.
As Stars and Stripes reported Monday:
The international military coalition relies heavily on contracted aircraft to haul troops and supplies across Afghanistan, where poorly maintained roads and buried bombs make ground transport difficult and dangerous.
