US chopper in emergency landing
From correspondents in Baghdad
January 02, 2004
A US Army Blackhawk helicopter made an emergency landing yesterday, leaving one soldier slightly injured, a military spokesman has revealed.
"Initial indications there was a mechanical malfunction in the tail rotor," said Sergeant Robert Woodward of the 101st Airborne Division today.
"So the pilot made a precautionary landing, and it was a little bit of a hard landing, and one soldier was slightly injured."
The 101st Airborne Division chopper, carrying seven passengers and three crew members, landed northwest of the refinery town of Baiji, 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Baghdad.
In October and November, insurgents shot down three US military choppers north and west of Baghdad, claiming the lives of 22 soldiers.
Two 101st Airborne Division Blackhawk choppers collided on November 15, killing 17 US soldiers.
The US military has said that incident is under investigation, amid reports that they came under fire.
This seems to confirm your comments, Sultan.