A U.S. Army reconnaissance helicopter went down near Mosul in northern Iraq on Friday while aiding Iraqi police who came under hostile fire, and its two pilots were seriously injured, military officials said.
Both pilots of the OH-58 Kiowa, which is armed, were alive but unconscious when they were evacuated, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joel Burger, of the 172nd Stryker Brigade's 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, said at the scene of the crash. It was unclear why the helicopter went down at about 2:15 p.m.
"They were not conscious. It's not looking good. I've spent a lot of time in Iraq and these guys were pretty beat up," Burger said.
The helicopter crashed near a group of mud huts in Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad. There was wreckage strewn over most of the crash site.
"It was responding to small arms fire being taken by Iraqi police. The gunmen fled to a nearby mosque," said Maj. Richard Greene, executive officer of the 2-1. |