McDonough woman among 6 airmen killed in Afghanistan plane crash
An airman from McDonough was among the 13 people who died early Friday when a military transport plane crashed after taking off in Afghanistan.
Kcey Ruiz, 21, attended Dutchtown High School in Henry County. She enlisted in the Air Force after graduating in 2012. She was stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts along with Senior Airman Nathan C. Sartain, also killed in the crash of the C-130 J Super Hercules aircraft at Jalalabad Airfield.
Four others, who were from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, died in the crash: Capt. Jonathan J. Golden, 33, of Camarillo, Calif.; Capt. Jordan B. Pierson, 28, of Abilene, Texas; Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Hammond, 26, of Moundsville, W.V.; and Senior Airman Quinn L. Johnson-Harris, 21, of Milwaukee.
Five civilian contractors, passengers on the aircraft, also died along with two Afghan civilians killed on the ground.
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About the Author
A native Atlantan, Boone joined the AJC staff in 2007. He quickly carved out a niche covering crime stories, assuming the public safety beat in 2014. He's covered some of the biggest trials this decade, from Hemy Neuman to Ross Harris to Chip Olsen, the latter of which was featured on Season 7 of the AJC's award-winning "Breakdown" podcast.
