Rest in peace to the fallen. In the fire fighting industry, air crashes are the number one cause of deaths. It is an unfortunate reality of using aircraft for logistics and support, but something we can’t get away from. All we can do is to continue to apply Kaizen to all air operations, and find the weaknesses that could contribute to future accidents and correct them. We will never be free of accidents or shoot downs in war, and I am surprised we don’t see more of these incidents.
Also, there were more than just Americans killed in these incidents, and the Afghani deaths matter too. I wish the main stream media would get that point as well.
It is also important to note that there were DEA deaths in these crashes. I am assuming these are the FAST Team guys, and my heart goes out to the friends and family of the fallen as well. The DEA has been pretty active in Afghanistan, and it was only a matter of time before they would start suffering losses like this. –Matt
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14 Americans killed in 2 helicopter crashes
By Heidi Vogt
Monday Oct 26, 2009
KABUL — Helicopter crashes killed 14 Americans on Monday — 11 troops and three drug agents — in the deadliest day for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan in more than four years. The deaths came as President Barack Obama prepared to meet his national security team for a sixth full-scale conference on the future of the troubled war.
In the deadliest crash, a helicopter went down in the west of the country after leaving the scene of a firefight, killing 10 Americans — seven troops and three Drug Enforcement Administration agents. Eleven American troops, one U.S. civilian and 14 Afghans were also injured.
In a separate incident, two Marine helicopters — one UH-1 and an AH-1 Cobra — collided in flight before sunrise over the southern province of Helmand, killing four American troops and wounding two more, Marine spokesman Maj. Bill Pelletier said.
It was the heaviest single-day loss of life since June 28, 2005, when 16 U.S. troops on a special forces helicopter died when their MH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down by insurgents. The casualties also mark the first DEA deaths in Afghanistan since it began operations there in 2005.
U.S. authorities have ruled out hostile fire in the collision but have not given a cause for the other fatal crash in the west. Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmedi claimed Taliban fighters shot down a helicopter in northwest Badghis province’s Darabam district. It was impossible to verify the claim and unclear if he was referring to the same incident.
Military spokeswoman Elizabeth Mathias said hostile fire was unlikely because the troops were not receiving fire when the helicopter took off.