‘They were heroes’: 3 men killed in Polk County plane crash were Afghan Air Force pilots who served with US military

INDEPENDENCE, Ore. (KGW/KTVZ) — The victims of a small plane crash in Independence Saturday evening were all Afghan refugees and former pilots for that country, according to new information released by Independence police, KGW reported.

Mohammad Hussain Musawi and Mohammad Bashir Safdari, both 35, from Independence, and 29-year-old Ali Jan Ferdawsi of Salem — all were former Afghan Air Force pilots. They worked with the U.S. military until the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021. The United States granted them asylum for their work.

“They were heroes,” said Russ Pritchard, CEO of the Afghan American Development Group. 

The nonprofit helps former Afghan personnel with resettlement, job training and family reunification.

“They were rebuilding their lives, they were transitioning from military aviation to commercial aviation in the United States,” said Pritchard. “They may have been career professionals in their country, in military aviation and they're here now as Uber Eats drivers and working night shifts for Amazon and that's why we work so hard to serve them.”

Local nonprofit, Salem for Refugees resettled the men in the Salem area in spring of 2022. The nonprofit tells KGW that the pilots were part of a growing Afghan community that's devastated by the loss. The men were in a pilot training program sponsored by Salem for Refugees and funded by Willamette Workforce Partnership.

Word of their deaths have touched many, including lawmakers. In a statement to KGW, Senator Jeff Merkley wrote: 

"This is a heartbreaking tragedy, and my thoughts are with the victims' families and loved ones. my office stands ready if there are ways to help their families during this difficult time."

Salem for Refugees and the Afghan American Development Group both started GoFundMe pages to support the pilots' families and pay for funeral expenses. Pritchard said each of the men killed in the crash was married and had children back home—families they had been supporting and dreaming of bringing to the United States. He said hundreds of others like them are still trying to do the same.

“These men and women deserve their families with them,” said Pritchard. “A final act of heroism to prevent weapons from falling into the Taliban, our enemies for 20 years. We owe it to them to get their families together.”

In an effort to help those families, The Afghan American Development Group is starting a campaign next month called Separation No More, Reunification in 24.

According to Independence police, the crash remains under investigation by federal aviation officials. They noted the plane had been traveling in heavy fog but it's unclear whether that played a part in the crash.