Army: Enemy fire caused copter collision in Iraq (last month)

[sabra]

Source: AP

FORT DRUM, N.Y. – The military now says enemy fire caused two U.S. Army helicopters to collide in Iraq last month, killing four American pilots.

The Defense Department initially had said the crashes of the two aircraft Jan. 26 near Kirkuk didn't appear to have been caused by an attack. But on Thursday, the Army said that evidence revealed that the Kiowa Warrior helicopters had collided while trying to evade enemy fire.

"The two OH-58D helicopters were engaged and struck by hostile fire while conducting a reconnaissance mission," Fort Drum spokeswoman Julie Cupernall said Friday.

The investigation continues, Cupernall said. A Sunni nationalist group had claimed responsibility for the helicopter attack in a posting on an extremist Web site.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090227/ap_on_re_us/soldiers_killed_helicopters_2

[Captain Hilts]

1. Choppers "glide like bricks." nt

[acmavm]

2. We don't know the half of what's going on over there.

[damntexdem]

3. Enemy fire caused copter collision. There's a term for that: they were shot down.

Obama needs to teach the U.S. military how to use simple, straightforward, militarily-accurate words.

[bdab1973]

5. They weren't shot down...they collided...

OH-58Ds often fly high-bird/low-bird tactics, and I know a couple guys who fly the KW...one lost sight of the other and both responded to ground fire...that in itself isn't a big deal, but it's a big deal if you don't know where your other friendly aircraft is.

[shadowknows69]

4. That sucks, my mother's neighbor lost her husband in that crash