Iraq downs US helicopter

BBC News ^ | Monday, 24 March, 2003, 16:08 GMT

[demlosers]

The United States military has confirmed that one of its Apache helicopters has come down in Iraq. Iraqi television showed pictures of the helicopter, which it said was shot down near the city of Karbala, 110 kilometres (70 miles) south-west of Baghdad. A pilot from the US Army Fifth Corps 11th Attack Helicopter Regiment reportedly said his unit hit a "hornet's nest, a barrage of anti-aircraft fire".

A correspondent for the US television network CNN travelling with the division said he had seen between 10 and 30 bullet holes in the helicopters involved.

The personnel had come back "feeling surprised, dazed, stunned somewhat," he said.

'Brave peasants'

Iraq's Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf said: "A small number of peasants - brave peasants - shot down two Apaches".

US defence officials refused to comment on the claim that a second helicopter had been shot down.

The pilots are reportedly being held captive

Factfile: Apache helicopters

Iraqi television showed images of Iraqis waving guns in the air and dancing around the helicopter which appeared to be intact.

Two helmets were shown at the scene but there was no apparent sign of the crew.

Five US military personnel taken prisoners of war have already been paraded on Iraqi television. Britain and the US have condemned the showing of the pictures, which they say breach the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war.

But Mr Saeed al-Sahhaf said Iraq may well show pictures of the pilots captured on Monday.

"They are supporting the criminals, the Zionist regime, and they are talking about the Geneva Convention, so we will continue showing whichever mercenaries fall into our hands," the minister said.

[demlosers]

The two Apache pilots who are now captured, are being shown on Iraqi TV. I've seen them on BBC; I don't think the American news have yet.

[mewzilla]

Unless I heard incorrectly, Gen. Franks did not say that the Apache was shot or brought down. And from what I understand, it's highly unlikely peasants had anything to do with this. Wishful thinking by the Beeb notwithstanding.

[KansasCanadian]

For those of us watching or reading the news, if we could count the times this story has been reported today, it would seem as if the US military had lost all its Apaches...its hard to keep it straight in a 24 hour news cycle

[BluH2o]

So my question ... why haven't coalition aircraft been dispatched to destroy the Apache helicopter?

[demlosers]

As you can see, it certainly looks like it landed because of possible mechanical problems. So at the moment, the Iraqis still haven't shot down squat!

[demlosers]

They may have, these pictures are many hours old.

[Ramius]

What makes you think that it wasn't?

[Mystix]

There is no damage on that aircraft. The armor will stop any round that that ak-47 throws at it so I know they didn't do it with that. An rpg would have brought it down but there's no hole anywhere big enough to indicate an rpg
If the peasants had brought it down, they would have shown the pilots instead of just their helmets and flight books. This was mechanical failure plain and simple, them saying they shot it down is just propaganda. They would have been shredded from the autocannon on the front of the thing anyway. Or atleast would have been hurt by the Hellfire missles still attached to it. They didn't shoot down shit, they just found it before we blew it up. The pilots probably haven't made it back to coalition lines to tell them where to send the cruise missles :)

[Ramius]

Yes... I agree. I was responding to the one who questioned why we didn't blow up the helo on the ground. I'm thinking that we probably did, shortly after those pics were taken. Not a healthy place to be.

[wcbtinman]

Helicopters are fickle machines. When I worked on them, we called them a 'loose collection of parts flying in close formation'. VC brought some of them down by throwing rocks, sticks or anything else they could get their hands on up into the rotor blades and control heads.

I went to A&P school with a guy who did 2 tours in Vietnam flying Cobra gunships. Among other terrifying and funny stories, he told me about being shot down by a peasant with a bow and arrow.

While flying across some rice paddies at very low altitude, he came to the tree line where there were several huts, and as he pulled the collective to rise above the trees, he got lots of warning lights and noises. He managed to fly a little farther, losing hydraulic pressure, until he was forced to set the bird down.

When the aircraft was recovered, the mechanics pulled some of the panels off, and started laughing. It seems that someone had managed a very lucky shot with an arrow that destroyed some hydraulic lines and linkages. I didn't believe him until he brought pictures.

Instead of a "golden BB" he got a 'golden arrow.