Helicopter crash in Iraq

Iraqi Freedom Heroes

Helicopter crash in Iraq

Marine Helicopter Crash Kills 31 in Iraq

U.S. Marine helicopter transporting troops crashed Wednesday January 26, 2005, in the desert of the restive Anbar province of western Iraq not far from the Jordanian border, killing 31 people, American military officials said. A senior administration official said there was bad weather at the time. Five more died in insurgent attacks - Four U.S. Marines were killed in action in Anbar province, and an American soldier was killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack north of Baghdad, U.S. officials said. It was the deadliest crash of a U.S. military helicopter in Iraq. A Pentagon source said the helicopter was a CH-53 Sea Stallion, which is normally configured to carry 37 passengers, but can take up to 55. The Marines fly two main variants: the CH-53D Sea Stallion, which dates to the Vietnam war period, and the newer, more powerful CH-53E Super Stallion, which has three gas turbine engines. Both are made by Sikorsky. There was no immediate word on how many people were on board or what caused the crash. It was the biggest loss of life in a helicopter crash in Iraq — and could be the deadliest single incident for American forces since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. The helicopter went down about 1:20 a.m. near the town of Rutbah, about 220 miles west of Baghdad, while conducting security operations, the military said in a statement. The aircraft was transporting personnel from the 1st Marine Division. Previously, the deadliest incident involving U.S. troops was a Nov. 15, 2003, crash of two Black Hawk helicopters that collided while trying to avoid ground fire in Mosul, killing 17 U.S. soldiers and wounding five. Earlier that month, a Chinook transport helicopter was shot down by shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile near Fallujah, killing 16 American soldiers and wounding 26. The U.S. military has lost at least 33 helicopters since the start of the war, including at least 20 brought down by hostile fire, according to a study by the Brookings Institution. The deadliest day for American troops during the initial invasion of Iraq was March 23, 2003, when 26 Americans were killed in a number of separate incidents. The day's deaths brought to at least 1,408 the number of members of the U.S. military who have died in Iraq, according to an Associated Press count.

The names of the members of the military who were killed in the January 26th, 2005 helicopter crash in Iraq will be listed on out USAHeroes website.

Fatal Helicopter Crashes in Iraq War

January 26th, 2005: A CH-53 Sea Stallion transport helicopter crashed in bad weather in western Iraq, killing at least 31 Marines aboard.

December 10th, 2004: An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter collided with a UH-60 Black Hawk that was on the ground at an air base in Mosul, killing two U.S. soldiers and injuring four.

October 16th, 2004: Two OH-58 Kiowa helicopters crashed in southwest Baghdad, killing two and wounding two. It was unclear whether hostile fire brought the aircraft down.

April 11th, 2004: Gunmen shot down an Apache attack helicopter in western Baghdad, killing its two crew members.

February 25th, 2004: A Kiowa crashed in a river west of Baghdad, killing the two crewmembers on board. A witness saw a missile hit one of two helicopters in the area.

January 23rd, 2004: A Kiowa crashed near the northern town of Qayyarah, killing the two pilots. The cause of the crash was unclear.

January 8th, 2004: A Black Hawk medevac helicopter crashed near Fallujah, killing all nine soldiers on board. A witness said a rocket hit the tail.

January 2nd, 2004: A Kiowa was shot down near Fallujah, killing its pilot and wounding another soldier.

November 15th, 2003: Two Black Hawks crashed in Mosul, killing 17 soldiers and injuring five. The military said the helicopters collided during a likely rocket-propelled grenade attack.

November 7th, 2003: A Black Hawk was downed near Tikrit, apparently by a rocket-propelled grenade, killing all six on board.

November 2nd, 2003: A Chinook transport helicopter was shot down near Fallujah, killing 16 and injuring 26. The military believed a SA-7 shoulder-fired missile struck an engine.

May 19th, 2003: A CH-46 Sea Knight transport helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff in the Shat al-Hillah Canal in Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, killing four Marines. Another Marine drowned trying to rescue them. The crash appeared to be accidental.

May 9th, 2003: A Black Hawk crashed near Samarra, killing three soldiers, in an apparent accident.

March 20th, 2003: A Sea Knight crashed in Kuwait, about nine miles from the Iraq border, killing eight British troops and four U.S. Marines. No hostile fire was reported in the area.

List of Deadliest Incidents in Iraq

January 26th, 2005: A U.S. CH-53 transport helicopter crashes in bad weather in Iraq's western desert, killing 31 Marines, according to initial reports.

November 15th, 2003: Two Black Hawk helicopters collide while trying to avoid ground fire in Mosul, killing 17 U.S. troops and wounding five.

November 2nd, 2003: Chinook transport helicopter shot down by shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile near Fallujah, killing 16 American soldiers and wounding 26.

December 21st, 2004: A suicide bomb attack at a mess tent in a base near Mosul kills 22 people including 14 U.S. soldiers.

March 23rd, 2003: Eleven American troops killed in ambush of 507th Maintenance Company convoy in Nasiriyah. Army Pvt. Jessica Lynch and six others are captured.

Email us at tevans49@hotmail.com