In October we reported on the tragic crash of United States Air Force C-130J cargo aircraft that killed six airmen and number more on the ground at Jalalabad Airport in Afghanistan.

For months since, the cause of the disaster has remained a mystery to everyone, and few clues have been disclosed to the American military community as how something so routine could turn deadly, and claim the lives of Capt. Jonathan J. Golden, Capt. Jordan B. Pierson, Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Hammond, Senior Airman Quinn L. Johnson-Harris, Senior Airman Nathan C. Sartain and Airman 1st Class Kcey E. Ruiz.

On Tuesday, that all changed, because the Pentagon finally revealed the findings of a U.S. Air Force investigation report into the flight headed for Bagram Airfield that crashed just 28 seconds after takeoff from the strip not far from the Afghanistan-Pakistani border, on October 2, 2015.

The cause?

A night-vision goggles case.

This from CNN:

While the plane was on the ground loading and offloading cargo, the pilot placed the goggles case in front of the cockpit yoke, which is used to steer the plane during flight. The pilot put the case there to prop up part of the plane’s tail — the elevators — to help the loading team deal with some tall cargo. The goggles case was never removed from the cockpit yoke. During the first seconds of takeoff, the plane’s nose started to pitch up too far, so the pilot tried to adjust by moving the yoke forward. But the goggles case blocked the yoke.

The pilot “misidentified the ensuing flight control problem,” the report said, “resulting in improper recovery techniques” by both the pilot and the co-pilot. The plane’s nose pitched upward too fast, leading to a stall and a crash, the report said. The aircraft exploded upon impact, it said, and everyone on board died instantly.

“The blocking of the flight controls during loading operations is a non-standard procedure,” the report said, “as such, there is no regulatory guidance to prohibit the act, or to address the proper placement and removal of the object blocking the controls.”

The report said it was the responsibility of the pilot and co-pilot to remember to remove the goggles case, even though it wasn’t on their checklist before takeoff.

The CNN story also mentioned that the C-130J Hercules aircraft cost roughly $48.5 million each. Which means absolutely nothing in the face of the loss of American military lives.