Former Dyess Airman Killed in Afghanistan Military Jet Crash

ABILENE, TX – A former airman at Dyess Air Force Base is one of the two Air Force pilots killed in a plane crash in Afghanistan on Monday. Captain Ryan S. Phaneuf, 30, and Lt. Colonel Paul K. Voss, 46, died Monday when a Bombardier E-11A aircraft crashed in the Ghazni Province.

According to KTXS, on Tuesday the remains of the two airmen were recovered from the crash site. In a statement released by Colonel Sonny Leggett, the spokesperson for the U.S. Forces-Afghanistan Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the remains were found near the crash site by the local Afghan community and treated with the dignity and respect in accordance with their culture.

According to General Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, at this time there is no indication that enemy action was involved in the incident. The cause of the crash is under investigation, but officials have said there is no indication the plane was downed by hostile action. 

“The main resistance was from the weather, which was really significant back there,” said McKenzie. He added that “appropriate precautions” were taken in moving the recovery team to the site “because the last thing you want to do is have another mishap or have other people lose their lives in an attempt to get up there.”

Captain Phaneuf was assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. The Hudson, New Hampshire native is survived by his wife Megan Murat Phaneuf, a former weekend meteorologist at KTXS. Phaneuf was also a meteorologist and he graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2012 with a B.S. in Meteorology. He joined the Air Force in May of 2012 and met his wife Megan while stationed at the Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio.

Lt. Colonel Voss, a native of Yigo, Guam, was assigned to the Headquarters Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. 

Both senators from New Hampshire released statements about Phaneuf’s death.

“My heart is heavy to learn of the tragic loss of Captain Ryan Phaneuf in the line of duty,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen. “My thoughts and deepest condolences are with Ryan’s family, friends, and fellow Airmen during this tremendously painful time. Ryan made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country, and I join a grateful nation and all Granite Staters in honoring the life and service of this brave, young American. We owe Ryan and his family a tremendous debt.”

“I am devastated to hear of the passing of Air Force Captain Ryan S. Phaneuf who died while bravely serving our country, and my prayers are with his family and loved ones at this tragic time," said Senator Maggie Hassan. "His death is a somber reminder of all the men and women in uniform currently in harm’s way in Afghanistan and around the world, putting their lives on the line to keep us safe, secure, and free. I am profoundly grateful for the service of Captain Phaneuf, may he rest in peace.”