Black Hawk Helicopter Crash Kills 12

January 9, 2006

Black Hawk Helicopter Crash Kills 12

UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter:
A U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is shown in a file photo over Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan.

U.S. Helicopter Crash Kills 12 in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Twelve American civilians and soldiers were killed when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Iraq shortly before midnight Saturday, the military said.

The helicopter was flying in support of Task Force Band of Brothers and was accompanying another aircraft flying between bases in northern Iraq when communications were lost. Eight passengers and four crew were aboard. All were American.

Eight of those killed were soldiers; four were U.S. civilians.

A search and rescue operation found the crash sight at about noon. The crash is under investigation.

The names of the dead are being withheld pending notification of family.

The deaths bring the number of U.S. troop deaths in the Iraq war to 2,206, according to U.S. military reports.

Rescuers searched for about 12 hours, finding the crash site about noon (4 a.m. ET), some 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) east of Tal Afar. A military release described the area as sparsely populated.

Tal Afar is just miles from the Syrian border and has been an area of significant insurgent activity and raids by Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces.

According to The Associated Press, 23 helicopters have crashed in Iraq since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Last January, a transport helicopter crashed in bad weather, killing 31 U.S. troops in the deadliest such incident.

SOURCE: CNN

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