It’s On the Kyrgyz Controller, Mostly

Dec. 21, 2006

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

US Air Force officials investigating the Sept. 26 accident at Manas Airport in Kyrgyzstan involving a Kyrgyz airliner and a USAF KC-135 found the accident to be primarily the fault of a Kyrgyz air traffic controller. An earlier announcement by Kyrgyz officials put the blame squarely on the USAF aircrew. The USAF accident board acknowledged that the KC-135 aircrew shared some responsibility. The board also faulted a tower liaison employed by the US to ease communication.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Airmen, Guardians Told to Select Religion Code from New Consolidated List

UK Thwarts Suspected Terrorist Plot Against Base Used by US Bombers for Strikes on Iran

For First Time, US F-35s Will Join Exercise in India

Air Force Certifies Anduril Barracuda Cruise Missile for Open System Updates

Related

Air Force Inks Deal for 22 More Boeing F-15EX Fighters

Sept. 29, 2026
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgThe Air Force awarded Boeing a $2.38 billion contract for 22 F-15EX...

CCAs and Autonomy Gain Momentum as Focus of Future Force

Sept. 29, 2026
For the past four years, the idea of autonomous drone warfare like Collaborative Combat Aircraft has been discussed as a future concept, rather than near-term reality. But now that promised vision appears imminent, with the Air Force promising at least 1,000 such drones by 2032.

Space Force Interested in Commercial Antennas to Control Satellites

Sept. 28, 2026
The Space Force is starting a new competition to bolster its aging network of antennas that track and manage Pentagon and other U.S. government satellites—and this time, acquisition officials are open to leasing commercial systems or even paying for commercial antennas as a service.