NATO Chopper Down

[tomahawk6]

A chopper is down in SE Afghanistan.Rescue operations underway.Crash is thought to be an accident and not a shoot down. Probably a US Army chopper. Keeping fingers crossed on casualties.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070218/afghan_chopper_070218/20070218?hub=TopStories

 

[The Bread Guy]

A bit more info - RIP to the dead, speedy recovery to the injured. 

8 Coalition personnel killed in helicopter crash
COMBINED JOINT TASK FORCE -76, COMBINED PRESS INFORMATION CENTER, Release #086, Feb. 18, 2007
Article Link

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Eight Coalition personnel were killed and 14 others were wounded early Sunday when a Coalition CH-47 helicopter had a sudden, unexplained loss of power and control and crashed in eastern Afghanistan.  A search and rescue operation was launched immediately to secure the site, recover the passengers and transport wounded personnel to Coalition medical facilities for treatment.  The helicopter was transporting a total of 22 people, including aircrew, at the time of the crash.  Coalition forces strongly advise any Afghans in the area of the crash to stay away from the site for their own safety.  Recent reporting indicated a Taliban build up for operations against the Coalition forces in the region.  “The loss of these servicemembers is felt by all of us here in Afghanistan, and we offer our deepest sympathy to the families of those who were killed,” said Lt. Col. David Accetta, Coalition spokesman.  The names of those involved in the incident are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.  The specific location and details of the incident will not be released until the completion of recovery operations.  An investigation will be conducted to verify the cause of the crash.

-30-


Eight US military personnel killed in Afghan chopper crash
Agence France Presse, 18 Feb 07
Article Link

Eight US servicemembers were killed and 14 injured when a helicopter crashed in southeastern
Afghanistan after a "sudden loss of power and control," the US-led coalition said.  The twin-rotor chopper crashed in the southeastern province of Zabul, about 250 kilometres (155 miles) southwest of the capital Kabul, not far from a main highway, residents and officials said on Sunday.  "Eight coalition personnel were killed and 14 others were wounded early Sunday when a coalition CH-47 helicopter had a sudden, unexplained loss of power and control and crashed in eastern Afghanistan," a coalition statement said.  "The helicopter was transporting a total of 22 people, including aircrew, at the time of the crash," it said.  The coalition said an investigation would be launched to verify the cause of the crash. It had said earlier the chopper came down after reporting engine failure.  "Recent reporting indicated a Taliban build-up for operations against the coalition forces in the region," the statement said.  Zabul is a rugged and mountainous area that sees regular clashes between security forces and fighters from the Islamist Taliban movement.  The chopper was on a transport mission and not a combat mission at the time of the crash, coalition spokesman Lieutenant Colonel David Accetta told AFP ....


8 U.S. troops die in Afghan 'copter crash
CNN, 18 Feb 07
Article Link

Eight coalition members were killed and 14 others wounded when their helicopter had a "sudden, unexplained loss of power and control" and crashed in southeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, military officials said.  All eight were U.S. personnel, according to news wire reports.  The CH-47 Chinook was transporting 22 people, including crew, at the time of the crash.  Rescuers found the 14 injured passengers after launching a search operation and transported them to the hospital.  The crew initially indicated they had engine failure, an earlier statement said ....


8 U.S. Troops Die in Afghan Copter Crash
NOOR KHAN, Associated Press, 18 Feb 07
Article Link

Eight U.S. troops were killed and 14 wounded when a military helicopter crashed Sunday in southeastern Afghanistan after reporting engine failure, the U.S.-led coalition said in a statement.  The CH-47 Chinook helicopter was carrying 22 passengers and had a "sudden, unexplained loss of power and control and crashed," the statement said.  "It was not enemy fire related," said Col. Tom Collins, spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force. "The pilot was able to radio in that he was having engine problems. We're confident it was not due to enemy action."  The helicopter crashed in the Shahjoi district of Zabul province, about 50 yards from the main highway between Kabul and Kandahar, and appeared to be destroyed and scattered in several pieces.  U.S. and Afghan military blocked reporters from entering the crash site.  The incident Sunday was the first U.S. military helicopter crash since May 2006, when a CH-47 Chinook helicopter that attempted a nighttime landing on a small mountaintop crashed in eastern Kunar province, killing 10 U.S. soldiers ....

 

[Mike Baker]

RIP to the dead, quick recovery to the injured 

 

[tomahawk6]

Crash site.

 

[Mike Baker]

Wow, not much left is there. RIP

 

[tomahawk6]

My experience has been in riding as a passenger but my gut says that the angels were with them and a great bit of piloting.

 

[The Bread Guy]

A few more details....

Enemy Fire Ruled Out as Cause of US Chopper Crash in Afghanistan
Voice of America, 18 Feb 07
Article Link

Officials have ruled out enemy fire as the cause of a U.S. military helicopter crash in Afghanistan that killed eight service members and injured 14 others.  NATO spokesmen say the Chinook transport helicopter crashed after the pilot reported an unexplained loss of power and engine failure.  The helicopter went down early Sunday in southeastern Afghanistan near the main highway between Kabul and Kandahar in the Shahjoy district of Zabul province. Taleban militants are active in the region.  The U.S. military relies heavily on helicopters for transport and operations in Afghanistan because of rough terrain and a lack of roads. Dust and high altitude put a heavy toll on helicopter engines, which have to operate at maximum limits under such conditions.

 

[Good2Golf]

My experience has been in riding as a passenger but my gut says that the angels were with them and a great bit of piloting.

Ack, T6...that 14 people survived that crash is testament to the guys and/or gals up front and the Big Guy up high. 

G2G

 

[manhole]

RIP to the fallen and a speedy recovery to the wounded.....

 

[tomahawk6]

Update:

http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?id=3106

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany, Feb. 20, 2007 – Only hours after a helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, airmen from an aeromedical evacuation control team in Southwest Asia got 11 of 14 injured survivors onboard a C-17 Globemaster III bound for Germany.

"That really made a difference in saving lives," said Air Force Lt. Col. Lenora Cook, the evacuation control team chief.

Two other survivors were airlifted to Germany later, and one did not require evacuation. The Army Ch-47 Chinook helicopter carrying these servicemembers crashed early Feb. 18. Officials said the cause was a mechanical failure, and there were no reports of enemy fire.

Australian, Canadian, British, Dutch and American rescuers rendered life-saving care on site and put out a call to the Joint Patient Movement Requirement Center. Cook's team then located airlift, air evacuation crews and critical care air evacuation teams.

"In this case, two CCAT teams were needed," Cook said. "This was due to the extent of the injuries that included head and chest injuries, as well as multiple fractures. "There were seven ‘urgents’ and four ‘priority’ patients” who were moved from Kandahar, Afghanistan, to Ramstein, she said.

Only hours after being found alive, 11 of the wounded soldiers and Marines began their seven-and-a-half-hour flight to Germany.

"It was a pretty hectic flight" said Air Force Capt. Karen Mackenzie, a trauma surgeon onboard with the critical care air evacuation team. "We had seven critical patients: ... head injuries, chest wounds, spinal fractures."

She said her team worked diligently to keep the patients stable during the long flight, adding that it was "absolutely imperative that we get these patients to a medical facility."

Shortly before 2 a.m., they touched down at Ramstein, where 20 servicemembers from the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility loaded the patients onto two buses for the short trip to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

In about an hour, the buses rolled out, leaving behind a cold and tired team from the CASF. The team’s shift leader, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Billy Bailey, summed up their feelings best. "It's what we're here for, to get the troops the care they need as fast as possible," he said.

 

[tomahawk6]

The casualty list.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 199-07
February 20, 2007


DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of seven soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Feb. 18 in southeastern Afghanistan when the Chinook helicopter they were in crashed. The incident is under investigation.

Killed were:

            Chief Warrant Officer Hershel D. McCants Jr., 33, of Ariz. McCants was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.

            Chief Warrant Officer John A. Quinlan, 36, of New Jersey. Quinlan was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.

            Sgt. Adam A. Wilkinson, 23, of Fort Carson, Colo. Wilkinson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.

            Spc. Travis R. Vaughn, 26, of Reinbeck, Iowa. Vaughn was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.

            Spc. Brandon D. Gordon, 21, of Naples, Fla. Gordon was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.

            Pfc. Ryan C. Garbs, 20, of Edwardsville, Ill. Garbs was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.

            Pfc. Kristofer D. S. Thomas, 18, of Roseville, Calif. Thomas was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.

            For more information in regard to this release the media can contact the U.S. Army Special Operations Command public affairs office at (910) 432-6005.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 191-07
February 19, 2007


DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty


The Department of Defense announced today the death of an Airman who died Feb. 18 when the coalition Chinook helicopter he was riding in crashed in eastern Afghanistan.

Tech. Sgt. Scott E. Duffman, 32, of Albuquerque, N.M., was assigned to the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, Pope Air Force Base, N.C.

An investigation will be conducted to verify the cause of the crash.

For more information related to this release media can contact the Air Force Special Operations Command public affairs office at (850) 884-5515.

 

[tomahawk6]

Update. It was my gut feeling from the start that the pilots positioned the aircraft so as to afford the best chance of survivability for the passengers. I hope the crew is recognized for their heroism.The Army Times reports today the following:

he helicopter was flying from Kandahar to Bagram at about 300 feet above the ground when it experienced a sudden loss of power, the source said. Initial speculation about the cause of the loss of power has centered on the possibility of engine icing, he said. But whatever caused the loss of power, “at 300 feet you don’t have a lot of space to recover,” the source added.

The helicopter appears to have come down aft end first, then bounced on its nose, causing the transmission assembly to come down on the cockpit, crushing the personnel at the front of the helicopter, according to the source.

The Chinook crashed in Zabol province about 50 yards away from the main Kabul to Kandahar highway, according to press reports.

The helicopter is at least the fifth MH-47 that has crashed or been shot down worldwide since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The 160th is the only unit that flies the MH-47

 

[Good2Golf]

Update. It was my gut feeling from the start that the pilots positioned the aircraft so as to afford the best chance of survivability for the passengers. I hope the crew is recognized for their heroism.The Army Times reports today the following:

  RIP Gents!

NSDQ!

 

[GAP]

Pretty selfless act.