U.S. Military: 'Copter Crashes Kill 10 (Djibouti crash)

Too bad we have no real journalists left to pursue this story and tell us what caused this crash. The military may investigate it, but should the reason turn out to be crappy maintenance by privatized workers/mechanics, or faulty construction - although the likelihood of two SIMULTANEOUS crashes is statistically improbable - the results of any investigation will doubtless be classified for "national security" reasons. My bet is that there was sabotage of both choppers at the foreign base.

A tragic loss for ten American families, whose children deserved better from the military forces in which they served.

I have no evidence for that, but choppers are pretty clumsy craft. I was in the 1st Cav in VN & saw or heard about all kinds of strange helo accidents.

NT

10 missing U.S. soldiers dead in Africa
DJIBOUTI, Djibouti, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Pentagon officials Sunday confirmed 10 soldiers aboard two Marine helicopters that crashed off Africa's coast on Friday were killed.

Two of the 12 crewmembers were rescued and were in stable condition. The U.S. Air Force and Marine crews were stationed at Camp Lemonier, a U.S. base in Djibouti.

Voice of America reports rescue teams from the United States, France, Italy and Djibouti searched for the two CH-35 choppers when they went down during training over the Gulf of Aden.

The cause of the crash has not been determined, a U.S. military spokesman told the BBC.
(snip/...)

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060219-111554-3499r

:shrug:

Either they crashed into each other or they didn't. If they didn't crash into each other than very likely they were shot down.

would suddenly develop mechanical problems? Or that both helicopters had bad pilots? I don't know, this just looks funny.

how dare you doubt INGSOC?

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-23/1140395948272440.xml&storylist=cleveland&thispage=1

Military releases names of 10 U.S. troops killed in helicopter crash off Djibouti

2/19/2006, 7:33 p.m. ET
By STEVE HARTSOE
The Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Ten U.S. service members, including an airman from suburban Cleveland, died when a pair of Marine Corps helicopters from a unit based in North Carolina crashed off the coast of Africa, U.S. military officials confirmed Sunday.

The two CH-53E choppers, carrying a dozen crew and troops from a U.S. counterterrorism force, went down during a training flight Friday in the Gulf of Aden, near the northern coastal town of Ras Siyyan in Djibouti.

Two crew members who were rescued were taken in stable condition to the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

The aircraft and eight Marines were from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464, based at Marine Corps Air Station New River. Two Air Force airmen killed were from bases in Washington state and Virginia...

I think Bin Laden spent some time there.

"The cause of the crash is not yet known but is not believed to be hostile, a US defense spokesman said earlier." (from a BBC article).

In the past, several crashes have eventually been attributed to hostile activity. It has taken a few days, so let's wait and see.

all 10 had been rescued. What is up with these people?