Wed, Dec 28, 2005
Two American pilots were
killed Dec. 26 in a helicopter accident in western Baghdad. The
nighttime accident occurred as a result of a midair collision
between two twin-engine AH-64 Apache gunships. The other helo
landed at a base in Taji, north of Baghdad, according
to 'unnamed defense officials' at the Pentagon. Military
officials were also unable to say if weather was a factor in the
crash.
No hostile fire was involved with the accident that killed the
two Task Force Baghdad helicopter pilots, a Multinational Force
Iraq statement said.
The Iraqi theater of operation, and some of the surrounding
territory is a tough job for helo operators. Helo accidents have
been a sadly regular occurrence over the last few years, including
two US Black Hawk helicopters that suffered a midair, under fire,
in Mosul in November 2003, killing 17 soldiers, just a week after
another Black Hawk was shot down killing six. Another Black Hawk
was shot down near Falluja in January 2004, killing all nine on
board. Last January this year, a CH-53 crashed close to the
Jordanian border in Anbar province, western Iraq, killing 30
Marines and one sailor.
In the meantime, coalition aircraft flew 38 close-air-support
missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom on Dec. 26. U.S. Air Force
F-16s destroyed an enemy position near Balad, using three
precision-guided munitions.
U.S. Air Force F-15s provided close-air support to coalition
troops in near Salman Pak. In addition, 13 U.S. Air Force, U.S.
Navy and Royal Australian Air Force intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in
Iraq. Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a
nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared
sensors.
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