14 Americans killed in 2 Afghan helicopter crashes

I spent almost 5 years as a helicopter crewman in the Navy. It is a fact of life, helos crash. We lost one on deployment in peacetime, with a crewman killed and had two wrecked in a shipboard incident. Twice I was in an aircraft that had either a forced landing or a landing with significant damage to the aircraft. Military aviation is dangerous in war or peace. Two F-16s collided off North Carolina last week with the loss of a pilot. Accidents happen. One accident in 10,000 flights seems like pretty good odds, until you fly 100,000 flights a year. In Afghanistan you have helos flying at high elevations and #ty weather conditions. In my opinion it is a testament to the competance and training of military pilots that there isn't more accidents.

One last thing. I would like to know what the criteria is for determining the number of casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq? In Desert Shield/Storm, people killed in a C-5 crash in Germany were counted in the overall casualty figures.

Originally posted by nenothtu
Originally posted by Beefcake

SNIP

KEE-RIST! I don't know HOW many times I'm gonna have to tell you people that NO SUCH THING ever happened! Since you've made the allegation, bring on your evidence! I bet you dollars against donuts that I can counter it, thoroughly. Bring on that evidence. we'll see WHO gets owned then.

Maybe just copy/paste from all the other threads you posted that info., hmmm?




[edit on 26-10-2009 by LadySkadi]

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by GovtFlu

 

Have you seen this? So much for your proof.

Russian Helicopter shot down.

From what I understand this is a Russian helicopter being shot down by Afghanistan militants. I was told the pilot recovered and was able to crash land the helicopter surviving the landing.

Hinds. Mi-24

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6c781cd5c306.jpg[/atsimg]


Yup it's a war.

Chinese facsimile thereof,

Now that I'd believe.

In the first Video provided that appears to be a Russian Chopper. Also in the second video you provided it doesn't show what they fired. Also the picture in the second link looks old. Any idea how old the picture is?

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/e15125edd00c.jpg[/atsimg]

A mujahedeen rebel aims a U.S.-made Stinger missile near Gardez, Afghanistan, Dec. 1991.

[edit on 26-10-2009 by SLAYER69]

I didn't claim it was "proof" of anything, nor did I assert it was a US chopper.. but an aircraft.

I simply do not believe the US govts reporting of all these unfortunate crashes given how easy it is to down an aircraft with a stinger like SAM, and the videos support the cnn and other articles about left over stingers being used against occupying forces.

And of course the China aspect, they must enjoy watching the US bleed resources

www.homelandsecurityus.net...
Evidence of Chinese military backing for the Taliban continues to surface. Late last month, U.S. Army Special Forces troops discovered 30 HN-5s, the designation for Chinese-made SA-7s surface-to-air missiles, in southeastern Afghanistan.

reply to post by GovtFlu


Welcome to The New Great Game

Also more reference material here. Further explanation of the Situation.

Two helicopters crash, and it's suddenly all over. Is that what I'm hearing here?

My first week in Special Forces, eight men were killed during training during the engineer course in a demo accident. My specialty in SF? Yep. Engineer.

There were two units swapping locations. The CH-47 would unload one group, load another and swap them out. I just got off the bird, paused to light a cigarette while it loaded with "outgoing" troops, and within two minutes of takeoff, it exploded in mid-air killing everyone on board.

No rockets, no missiles, no 12.5mm.

It happens. Last weekend a friend and three buddies had just taken off and crashed and burned.

For the record: casualties includes killed, wounded, and missing.

In Vietnam, the figure of KILLED was around 58,000. That wasn't casualties - that was killed.

To keep from looking like a retard - compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges.

We have much greater casualties right here at home on the highway.

reply to post by SLAYER69


Slayer, there were 5 different models of the Mi-24 "hind", but what you have in that picture isn't one of them. It's been mislabeled wherever you found it. Looks more like an Mi-8 "Hip", but not quite blocky enough for that. All Hind models had stubby wings and a dual-seat stepdown. That bird, while having the engine intakes in the right place, has frame-mounted weapon racks instead of wings, and no separate gunner's seat.

You'll just have to trust me on that. I know a hind when I see one. They usually travelled in packs of 4 in Afghanistan.

The landing gear are wrong, too this link will show you the differences I'm talking about: Mi-24 Hind

Edit to add: that's an Mi-17 (aka Mi-8M "Hip"). Had to dig around after I saw it. I just HAD to know... that I wasn't getting TOO old and senile. Who knows? My mind COULD have been playing tricks on me! Mi-17

[edit on 2009/10/26 by nenothtu]

Originally posted by LadySkadi

Originally posted by nenothtu
Originally posted by Beefcake

SNIP

KEE-RIST! I don't know HOW many times I'm gonna have to tell you people that NO SUCH THING ever happened! Since you've made the allegation, bring on your evidence! I bet you dollars against donuts that I can counter it, thoroughly. Bring on that evidence. we'll see WHO gets owned then.

Maybe just copy/paste from all the other threads you posted that info., hmmm?

[edit on 26-10-2009 by LadySkadi]

Looks like I'm gonna have to hunt them all down and save the url's in a file. That particular bit of disinformation has been showing up a LOT lately, hence my exasperation with the subject. Looks to me like folks could critically analyze what they read instead of jumping on a bandwagon heading the wrong way.

Back after a while with the links. *sigh*

reply to post by nenothtu


Thanks

Yeah I was thread hopping at the time. I quickly grabbed the pic off a page and highlighted the wrong info for another chopper below the one I thought it was.




[edit on 26-10-2009 by SLAYER69]

reply to post by Zosynspiracy

Of course you will. And so will the rest of the sheeple in America. What I want to know is why after numerous helicopter crashes "accidentally" over the last 10 years they are still crashing regularly. When two crash into each other? COME ON! There is no excuse for that at all.

Helicopters crashes are no different than car wrecks. Parts wear out, people make human errors, weather and many other reasons. The best technology in the world isn't going to prevent accidents from happening.

Originally posted by Zosynspiracy
Of course you will. And so will the rest of the sheeple in America. What I want to know is why after numerous helicopter crashes "accidentally" over the last 10 years they are still crashing regularly.

Because a helicopter has about a bazillion moving parts that do nothing but beat the air into submission.

Originally posted by Zosynspiracy
There is no reason for helicopters to keep crashing on a regularly basis, least of all into each other.

Well, in that AOR, they have to worry about "brownouts". Same as getting a whiteout in the snow, this is a brownout with sand. A lot of the helicopters have accidents trying to land in those conditions.