Emergency workers respond to a crash that killed a U.S. airman near Osan Air Base, South Korea, July 27, 2025. (Gyeonggi-do Fire Services)
An airman assigned to Osan Air Base in South Korea was killed in a car crash near the installation this week, the 51st Fighter Wing and local police said Tuesday.
Senior Airman James Daniels, 28, of Mililani, Hawaii, died around 10:20 p.m. Sunday, the wing said in an unattributed email. He served as an aircraft structural maintenance journeyman assigned to Osan’s 51st Maintenance Squadron.
Daniels’ vehicle struck the rear bumper of a truck parked on the roadside then crashed into a nearby utility pole and concrete wall, a Pyeongtaek police officer said by phone Tuesday.
Emergency service personnel found Daniels — the vehicle’s sole occupant — unresponsive and took him to an unspecified hospital, the officer said.
Some South Korean government officials may speak to the media on condition of anonymity.
No other casualties were reported. The wing is coordinating with local authorities to investigate the incident, according to the wing and the police officer.
No further information was provided.
Osan, roughly 30 miles south of Seoul, is headquarters for the wing and 7th Air Force, the primary Air Force command in South Korea. Approximately 5,500 U.S. troops are stationed at the base.
The maintenance squadron is responsible for the upkeep of the wing’s F-16 Fighting Falcons. Aircraft structural maintenance specialists are tasked with repairing aircraft and undergo 76 days of training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., according to the Air Force’s website.
