Shifting Cargo Caused Afghan Crash Killing 6 from SE Michigan: NTSB

The Boeing 747-400 crashed shortly after takeoff from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on April 29, 2013. (Screenshot, YouTube video)

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Shifting cargo in an overloaded plane caused a horrific 2013 crash in Afghanistan that killed all seven crew members, six of them from southeast Michigan, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report Tuesday.

The findings generally confirm earlier speculations that improperly secured military vehicles shifted and crashed through the bulkhead, damaging the hydraulic systems of the National Air Cargo flight bound for Dubai. The plane, a Boeing 747-400, crashed shortly after takeoff from Bagram Air Base on April 29, 2013.

Those killed were pilots Brad Hasler, 34, of Trenton, and Jeremy Lipka, 37, of Brooklyn; first officers Jamie Brokaw, 33, of Monroe, and Rinku Summan, 32, of Canton; loadmaster Michael Sheets, 36, of Ypsilanti; and maintenance crewman Gary Stockdale, 51, of Romulus. Maintenance crewman Timothy Garrett, 51, of Louisville, KY, was also killed.

Read Patch’s Coverage of the Tragedy:

• Friends of Trenton Pilot will ‘Miss Their Skipper’
• Canton Man Among Those Killed in Afghan Plane Crash

NTSB officials said “critical safety deficiencies,” including a failure by National Airlines, the operator of the flight, to properly restrain the cargo. It also cited inadequate Federal Aviation Administration oversight of cargo operator procedures and inspector training.

Accepting the report on a 4-0 vote, the NTSB agreed to a set of recommendations that will improve FAA training and strengthen standards for air carrier loadmasters. The enhanced training is intended to ensure they know how to handle special loads like the five Mine Resistant Ambush Vehicles that were aboard the Boeing 747 that crashed in Afghanistan. The five MRAPs, as they’re known, weighed about 80 tons.