US defense contractor King Air 350 aircraft crashes in the Philippines, killing four

A Beechcraft 350 King Air, operated by US defense contractor Metrea and registered as N349CA, crashed in a rice field near Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, on February 6, 2025. All four people onboard, including one US service member, perished in the accident.

Metrea confirmed the incident in a statement, stating that all four individuals onboard, including one US service member, perished in the accident.

“We are able to confirm that at around 1400 local time on Thursday, February 6, a Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft carrying four persons, including one U.S. service member, crashed close to Ampatuan,” the company stated. “It is with deep regret we are able to confirm that there were no survivors. The families of our crew have been informed, and we’re providing full support.”

Local authorities and emergency teams were swiftly deployed to the crash site but found no survivors. Metrea has activated its emergency response plan and is cooperating with government agencies to determine the cause of the crash.

“The safety and wellbeing of our employees and customers continues to be our top priority,” the company emphasized. “Metrea will provide further updates as soon as more information is available.”

The Beechcraft 350 King Air is a twin-turboprop aircraft commonly used for airborne surveillance, transport, and reconnaissance missions, one of the services provided by Metrea, according to its website. 

According to the US Indo-Pacific Command, the aircraft was conducting an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission at the request of Philippine authorities.

“The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of US-Philippine security cooperation activities,” the US Indo-Pacific Command confirmed in a statement.The post US defense contractor King Air 350 aircraft crashes in the Philippines, killing four appeared first on AeroTime.

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