Mi-8 Went Down In January

This weekend, a coalition recovery team retrieved the remains of seven international aid workers who were killed when their helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan last January, military officials reported.

As reported in Aero-News, the Turkmenistan Airlines MI-8 HIP, chartered by the International Committee of the Red Cross for a humanitarian mission in Pakistan, disappeared over Afghan airspace January 20 after the helicopter departed from Peshawar Airfield in Pakistan en route to Turkmenabad, Turkmenistan. Seven persons were onboard.

Transportation officials from Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Pakistan have searched for the missing helicopter since its disappearance. The aircraft, located June 1 by local Afghan villagers, crashed along the eastern side of an extremely steep and rocky mountain, just north of Alasai village in Kapisa Province.

Upon learning of the discovery, the coalition immediately began preparations for a recovery mission.

"We sent an elite High Altitude, High Angle Rescue and Recovery Team consisting of Turkmenistan recovery experts and coalition ground forces to the crash site to facilitate the investigation and recovery," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 76.

Turkmenistan officials initially traveled to Kabul to request assistance for the recovery operation. Due to the high altitude and remote location of the crash site, U.S. forces were asked to assist in the recovery mission.

"Ultimately, on June 6 or 7, we were officially asked to perform this mission," said US Army Maj. C. Eric Benson, director of the CJTF 76 rescue coordination center. "We alerted our rescue team and began detailed planning within the organization."

The High Altitude, High Angle Rescue and Recovery Team is the reason why the US "is the only country in theater with the specific skill set and capability to conduct this type of mission," said Benson. "It's not simply a matter of having an aircraft with the capability; it's a matter of being able to link a specialized air crew with a specialized ground crew."

The recovery team -- consisting of seven specialized US parajumpers, a US surgeon, and two Turkmenistan recovery experts -- endured many hazards during the successful operation, including steep and rugged terrain, difficult weather conditions and an altitude of about 12,500 feet, requiring the recovery team to take a special medication starting 48 hours prior to the mission to prevent acute mountain sickness.

Since the crash occurred on a steep ridgeline, the recovery team was forced to land about one kilometer from the crash site. Carrying the equipment necessary for the operation, the recovery team's trek toward the site was made more difficult due to the high altitude and rough terrain, said Kosmowski.

After working continuously for four and a half hours at the site, the team successfully recovered the remains of all seven aid workers.

FMI: www.cfc-a.centcom.mil