The MC-12W aircrew of Independence 08 crashed in Afghanistan on April 27th, 2013, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. All four crew members were killed while conducting tactical reconnaissance in adverse weather in support of a highly technical special operations mission: Capt Brandon Cyr, mission commander; Capt Reid Nishizuka, pilot; SSGT Daniel Fannin, sensor operator; and SSGT Richard Dickson, tactical systems operator.