(CNN) — A former Three Rivers man was one of the victims when a cargo plane crashed in Afghanistan killing all seven crew members on board Monday.
Six of the victims were from Michigan.
The crash happened shortly after takeoff from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, the U.S.-based company said. The Boeing 747-400 was en route to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“This was a purely cargo flight and no passengers were aboard,” a company statement said. “Cargo consisted of vehicles and routine general cargo.”
National specializes in moving freight for the military and businesses, as well as charter passenger service in the Middle East.
The cause of the crash has not been determined.
National Air Cargo told FOX 17 NEWS that the seven victims included the following:
*Brad Hasler, Pilot In Command, Trenton MI
*Jeremy Lipka, Pilot In Command, Brooklyn MI
*Jamie Brokaw, First Officer, Monroe, MI and formerly of Three Rivers, MI
*Rinku Summan, First Officer, Canton, MI
*Michael Sheets, Loadmaster, Ypsilanti, MI
*Timothy Garrett, Maintenance, Louisville, KY
*Gary Stockdale, Maintenance, Romulus, MI
A statement on The National Air Cargo web site Reads:
A National Airlines B747-400 cargo plane was involved in an accident at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan today.
At approximately 7 a.m. EST, National Flight NCR102 from Bagram to Dubai, UAE with seven crewmembers on board crashed on takeoff. None of the crew members survived. This was a purely cargo flight and no passengers were aboard. Cargo consisted of vehicles and routine general cargo.
“Safety is always our top priority at National Airlines,” said National Airlines President Glen Joerger. “This is a devastating loss for our family and we’ll work diligently with authorities to find the cause,” said Joerger. “Most importantly, our thoughts and prayers are with our crew members and their families.”
National will release additional information as it becomes available, in cooperation with government authorities. Our focus at this time is on the family members of those we’ve lost, and on assisting the NTSB and Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority in their investigations. As of now, the cause of the accident is unknown.
