An Apache Crash in Afghan Land

 

 

             An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, assigned to A Company, 3rd Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, crashed in Afghanistan. Both pilots survived this accident and, as of 15 April 2002, were in critical, but stable condition having been evacuated to Germany. The accident occurred on Thursday night, 11 April 2002. Aircraft 209 was flying trail. The lead aircraft made a radio call stating the aircraft was going down. The trail aircraft, piloted by the Battalion Commander and a backseater, names unknown, landed to pull them out of the aircraft. They attached the pilots to the outside of trail aircraft for a self extraction and departed the area of operations (AO) to a location where the pilots could be safely Medevac'd. The pilots of the crashed helicopter sustained compound fractures in both legs, broken jaws, and the backseater has a compressed spine.

 

 

         
AH-64 crash site in Afghanistan.

             In the photograph above, one can see a maintenance officer, CW4 Jim Hardy, walking away with secure equipment before a Thermite grenade was used to destroy the rest of the mess.

 

 

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