Guard: Hostile Fire Caused Copter Crash

[Rose Siding]

RENO, Nev. -- Military investigators have determined that a helicopter crash that killed five Army National Guardsmen in Afghanistan last month was the result of hostile fire, not an accident.

Militants claimed they shot down the aircraft, but Army investigators initially believed the crash was the result of a mechanical failure or other problem.

"After talking to other people in the area and looking at the wreckage, the conclusion was that it was hostile fire," Nevada Army National Guard spokeswoman Capt. April Conway said Saturday.
...
"It might have been a guy with a rifle who happened to take a lucky shot or an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade). We just don't know," Conway said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/08/AR2005100801463.html

[DemoTex]

1. S.A.M. is a verboten term in Rummy's lexicon. Have you noticed that?

"It might have been a guy with a rifle who happened to take a lucky shot or an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade). We just don't know," Conway said.

Always a rifle or RPG. Never a SAM (Surface to Air Missile). NEVER EVER A SAM. Pure PR and spin. SAMs .. been there, done that. I smell a SAM.

(On edit: SAM is evocative of Vietnam. Can't have that. Nosiree!)

[Gronk Groks]

3. If the Tali ban has SAM's they might actually be able...

...to neutralize our air power. Can't let that possibility get on the public airwaves can we...

If we had finished the war in Afghanistan instead of invading Iraq we would have secured peace their already and probably gotten Bin Laden. Instead we have two quagmires with not enough troops available to finish either.

Shrub has sooooo f*cked the military and our country...

[DemoTex]

4. All those Russian (USSR) helicopters they shot down?

Slingshots.

[Gronk Groks]

7. Big question...who is supplying???

Please Divinity, don't let it be an American arms dealer....

[bluestateguy]

2. Most of these so-called "accidents" are not

I will always believe that every so-called "accident" is by hostile fire.

[HuffleClaw]

5. and 'weather', don't forget weather

yeah, their excuses got old really fast. i wonder if someone has a list of how many they've lost and the cause attributed to each one. would be a funny list.

[DemoTex]

6. Young, inexperienced pilots ..

The hills are full of their smoking holes from weather-related accidents. Military and civilian. As an old ALPA accident investigator, take my word on this one.