Medevac Bird Shot Down

An American Black Hawk helicopter, performing Medevac duty, was shot down Thursday, near Fallujah. Originally described as an emergency landing, the downed Black Hawk had nine persons on board, now reported to all be soldiers.

The area of the accident is a major area of concern in that it has become a major battleground for Iraqi insurgents and has been the scene of previous helicopter downings. 

Military sources now say that the aircraft was crewed entirely by soldiers, though a number of media reports detailed conflicting stories that postulated as few as four soldiers and as many as five "passengers" were on board (though most reports now agree that there were a total of 9 people on board), while the aircraft was a Medevac version. It has not been disclosed as to whether the aircraft was on an actual medical mission.

Another US chopper was downed on January 2nd, resulting in the death of its pilot. Thursday's shootdown is reportedly the deadliest aircraft-involved incident since November when two Black Hawks were involved in a midair collision over Mosul during a grenade attack.

Official DOD Statement

An Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed southeast of Fallujah, Iraq, today, killing all nine aboard, coalition officials said during a press conference in Baghdad.

Officials do not know what caused the crash. A quick-reaction team secured the area, and investigators are on the scene. Early reports that the chopper was from the 82nd Airborne Division are not true, said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations director for Combined Joint Task Force 7.

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