Monroe, Mich., man among 7 Americans killed in plane crash in Afghanistan

4/30/2013

A Monroe, Mich., man was one of seven Americans who was killed in a cargo plane crash that occurred near an Air Force base in Afghanistan on Monday.

Jamie Brokaw, age unavailable, was a first officer on board the plane, according to Shirley Kaufman, a spokesman with National Air Cargo. The names of the victims were released late today.

The Boeing 747-400, operated by National Air Cargo, crashed just after takeoff Monday morning from Bagram Air Base, the National Transportation Safety Board reported.

Ms. Kaufman said six other crew members were also killed in the crash: Brad Hasler, of Trenton, Mich; Jeremy Lipka of Brooklyn, Mich; Rinku Summan of Canton, Mich; Michael Sheets of Ypsilanti, Mich; Timothy Garrett of Louisville, Ky., and Gary Stockdale of Romulus, Mich.

Mr. Brokaw was well-regarded, said friend Chris Connerton, of Rochester, Minn.

“He was a very good person and a very smart person,” Mr. Connerton said.

Mr. Connerton said Mr. Brokaw helped him get through flight school, and navigated them through a tricky flight Toledo to an international flight expo in Lakeland, Fla., two years ago when ice built up on the plane and it could no longer climb.

“If it wasn’t for Jamie’s navigation and know-how ... we wouldn’t have made it,” Mr. Connerton said. “I don’t know that I would have had the capacity to handle the situation on my own.”

The Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Aviation is leading an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.