--- title: "Airmen who died during fitness test suffered sudden cardiac arrest, Air Force says" description: "An investigation found that Airman First Class Syamukonka Moonga, who died after finishing a run last August, had no pre-existing conditions." date: "2026-08-15" modified: "2026-08-15" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-death-fitness-test-report/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # Airmen who died during fitness test suffered sudden cardiac arrest, Air Force says ![Airmen of the 163d Operations Support Squadron, California Air National Guard, run during group physical fitness training, March Air Reserve Base, Calif., June 24, 2026. The OSS has accelerated its fitness program over the last eight months, structured around the new Department of the Air Force’s Physical Fitness Assessment standards starting July 1, 2026. (U.S. Air National Guard Photograph by Senior Master Sgt. Julianne Sitterding)]() *Airmen run at March Air Reserve Base during a physical fitness training exercise in June 2026. Air National Guard Photograph by Senior Master Sgt. Julianne Sitterding.* The airman who [died]() during a physical fitness test last year died as a result of sudden cardiac arrest and had no pre-existing conditions, the Air Force said in a new report. The [report]() from Air Education and Training Command, released Aug. 12, found that Airman First Class Syamukonka Moonga collapsed shortly after finishing the 1.5-mile run segment of a practice physical fitness assessment on Aug. 4, 2025. He was unconscious and without a pulse. Other trainees and the leader overseeing the training began attempting to resuscitate him. They attempted to get an automated external defibrillator to help the airman, but it shut off and would not restart. They, along with paramedics and EMTs, spent more than an hour working to revive him, but he was declared dead just over an hour after collapsing. Moonga was assigned to the 346th Training Squadron at Naval Base Ventura County-Port Hueneme, California, which trains vehicle maintenance personnel at the base. The [new Ground Accident Investigation Board report]() said Moonga had no pre-existing conditions and there were no environmental circumstances that day prior to his death. An autopsy found smaller coronary arteries than normal, but Moonga had shown no prior issues during earlier fitness tests. ![Airman First Class Syamukonka Moonga. Air Force photo.]() *Airman First Class Syamukonka Moonga. Air Force photo.* According to the report, Moonga had completed the Physical Fitness Assessment twice during basic military training, first with a failing score and then with a passing score before graduating. That included taking his 1.5-mile run time from 14 minutes and 55 seconds to 12 minutes 27 seconds. Practice PFAs while with the 346th Training Squadron saw him earn "excellent" or "near-excellent" scores. Before the practice assessment on Aug. 4, airmen are able to tell training leaders if they have any injuries or health matters that could impact their training. According to the report, Moonga did not mention anything. Moonga was originally from Zambia and enlisted in the Air Force in May 2025, graduating from basic military training two months later. He was only a few weeks into training with the 346th Training Squadron. "His classmates described him as having a positive attitude, beginning and ending each day with a smile," the report said. Last year, the squadron's commander, in a [statement]() identifying Moonga after his death, said that his "joy, kindness, and enthusiasm will be deeply missed." The 346th Training Squadron, despite being an Air Force unit, is based on a naval base. It's a joint training program for airmen and naval personnel, training them on vehicle maintenance. Investigators found no extreme heat or weather conditions that day, and Moonga had no significant past medical history or preexisting conditions. The autopsy ruled his death as natural, resulting from sudden cardiac arrest due to probable exercise-induced cardiac arrythmia. The medical examiner found Moonga had a healthy and normal-sized heart, but coronary arteries were smaller than normal, which might have contributed to the sudden cardiac arrest. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()