US service member, 3 contractors killed in Philippines plane crash

One US service member and three defense contractors were killed when a US military-contracted plane crashed in a rice field in Maguindanao del Sur, Philippines, on Thursday, officials said.

According to US Indo-Pacific Command, the aircraft was on a routine mission providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of Philippine authorities. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The body of a victim is covered with a blanket as members of security forces inspect the site where wreckage of airplane is seen in a rice field in Maguindanao del Sur province, Philippines, after officials say a US military-contracted plane has crashed in a rice field in the southern Philippines, killing all four people on board, on Thursday Feb. 6, 2025. (Sam Mala/UGC via AP)

Local officials said residents saw smoke and heard an explosion before the plane went down near farmhouses in Ampatuan town. No civilians were injured, but a water buffalo was killed. The site has been secured by troops, and authorities are withholding the victims’ names pending family notifications.