5 US soldiers die in helicopter landing in Iraq

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military says five American soldiers have been killed when a helicopter went down in southern Iraq.

A U.S. statement says the CH-47 Chinook helicopter made a "hard landing" shortly after midnight Thursday about 60 miles west of Basrra.

The Chinook was a part of an aerial convoy flying from Kuwait to the U.S. military base at Balad just north of Iraq.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080918/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_us_soldiers_killed;_ylt=AsFyIe47M5ARBKemgY0VP6FvaA8F

[rzemanfl]

1. When people die, isn't that a crash? When was the last time

you saw in the newspaper "fender bender kills five?" Next they will be using "bullet collision" instead of "shot."

[Lautremont]

2. A "hard landing?"

I'll say. Nice Army understatement. That's so sad and unnecessary. Those poor guys.

[saigon68]

3. "BRING EM ON" shouted the AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[boomerbust]

4. Finest Bush Picture Ever

<

[saigon68]

6. Yes it is

Just a Little Photo shop action

[mcollier]

7. Yet another poor family

in American pays the ultimate price for the bush/mccain fiasco...

This war must end...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. The cause of the "mishap" is under investigation.

I really doubt the families of these people will be comforted to know their loved ones lost their lives in a "hard landing" "mishap".

[UpInArms]

8. oh my

:(

This.has.got.to.stop.

[peace13]

9. This is so sad.

My step sister just left for Balad. She is 42 and has been in the Air Force since she got out of High School. She is scheduled to retire in May...go figure. I hope to hell that she is OK. I don't wish anyone else ill will but I do hope that she is safe. Damn!

[bdab1973]

20. If she is AF

she will likely not leave the confines of the base. Balad is targeted by indirect fire, but it's generally not accurate and there is a system in place that actually "shoots down" the projectiles, and it's pretty effective. So your sister will be just fine...the only way I'd worry is if she had a job that took her "outside the wire" as it's often called. The Army infantry, AF security forces, convoy operators, and other jobs like that go outside the wire. Even flying jobs like mine are pretty safe.

Regarding the CH-47 accident, the "hard landing" reference was made because when a helicopter suffers a mechanical malfunction and attempts to accomplish a forced landing, hard landings are common. It's difficult to autorotate at night with a dusty environment that limits your vision, and it's quite likely that these guys were attempting to set it down and somehow didn't make it. I've lost five friends from my initial helicopter pilot training class...two crashed their UH-1 helicopter while flying a night low-level route, and they misjudged their altitude and impacted the ground. One guy was killed while flying in Korea they got into some low cloud ceilings and hit a mountain that was obscured. Another friend was killed in Albania when his AH-64 suffered an inflight malfunction that caused them to lose control. And the last guy was participating in an exercise, and he and his copilot were in a hover conducting recon and drifted back into a tree that was behind them. The tail rotor was sheared off and the tail boom separated and they plunged about 60-70 feet to the ground.

Flying helicopters in general is safe. Flying military helicopters can be dangerous given the environments they are operated in...low light, night flying, low-level, in formation. I will be looking to see who it was and hoping it's not anyone I know.

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. Russia and China are watching - -

.
.
.

USA is screwing around in their back-yard

AND

screwing up badly

They are watching

closely

Believe it . . .

[midnight]

11. Hugs to the familys.

[DesertRat]

12. My heart goes out to the families

How tragic. :cry:

[Aviation Pro]

13. A hard landing and the associated G-forces....

...can do a significant amount of damage to passengers who are not properly seated and secured. Even a 10 foot drop can be fatal.

[Imagevision]

14. Five more families lose loved ones because of Bush's oil war

[bluestateguy]

15. Disgusting

Despicable.

[jannyk]

16. Now 7 dead and being called a 'Crash' (CNN)

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/09/17/iraq.main/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

[xchrom]

17. recommend

[Supersedeas]

18. other than vagaries and empty proclamations about the surge working--meanwhile

the struggle of our bravest citizens get lost in the celebrity coverage

[Haole Girl]

19. 7 Texas-based soldiers killed in Iraq

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/28609239.html

:cry:

[WhiteTara]

21. twice in one week?

Must be either lousy mechanics or they have a new missle launcher that really works.

[bdab1973]

22. Most of the accidents

Have been caused by aircrew error

[WhiteTara]

23. ah, yes. OE

What a tragedy!

[bdab1973]

24. Yes it is a tragedy...I went to flight school with one of the pilots...

Brady Rudolph, you will be missed. My thoughts go out to your family.

A toast to those of IERW (Initial Entry Rotary Wing) class 96-17 that are no longer with us:

1Lt Jason Baker (USAF), UH-1H, Alabama, 1997
1Lt Scott Cummins, UH-1H, Alabama, 1997
1Lt Norm Flecker, UH-60, South Korea, 1998
CW2 Kevin Reichert, AH-64, Albania, 1999
CW2 Phil Rochlitz, OH-58D, Louisiana, 2002
CW3 Brady Rudolph, CH-47, Iraq, 2008

Godspeed brothers.