Afghanistan: "explosion aboard CHINOOK" this Tuesday

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... =D9IQ0KEG0

NATO: 2 killed, 10 wounded in helicopter explosion

(AP) – 42 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO says two people have been killed and 10 others injured in an explosion aboard a coalition helicopter just after it landed in eastern Afghanistan.

NATO says the helicopter, with about 26 people aboard, was already on the ground Tuesday when the blast occurred.

The coalition says it's unclear what caused the explosion.

The 10 wounded NATO service members were evacuated to a medical facility.

The landing site, which was not disclosed, has been secured by Afghan and coalition forces.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11521652

One dead in Nato Afghanistan helicopter blast

At least one person has been killed and eight wounded in an explosion on board a Nato helicopter in eastern Afghanistan, coalition officials say.

They say that the Chinook helicopter was in the process of landing when the explosion happened, and that its cause was not immediately clear.

There were about 26 Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) troops on board at the time.

A Nato statement said the blast took place in Kunar province.

But it has said that the landing site has now been secured by troops.

"The helicopter was on the ground in Kunar province when an explosion of unknown origin occurred.
The wounded service members were evacuated to an Isaf medical facility," the statement said.

Isaf initially said that two people had been killed in the blast, but a spokesman later scaled down the casualty figure.

"Operational reporting is very fluid.
You've got to understand that we're trying to get all the facts," an Isaf spokesman told the AFP news agency.

"It is up to respective governments to release details of those killed in action.

The wounded are Isaf personnel," the spokesman said.

Correspondents say that aircraft crashes are not rare in Afghanistan, but explosions on board are extremely rare.
The Taliban in the past have shot down helicopters of foreign forces in Afghanistan.

Eastern Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous parts of the country, where Taliban and other Islamist insurgents have a strong presence.

It is just across the border from Pakistan, where militant groups are also strong on the ground.

[wonju666]

According to www.armyaircrews.com a RPG was shot into the rear of the aircraft when unloading in Kunar province. An Afghan interpreter was killed.

[wonju666]

CH-47 involved was from B/2-3 GSAB
serial #92-00291, callsign "Massive 60"
according to http://www.armyaircrews.com.
More info could be found at http://www.chinook-helicopter.com:

12 October 2010, 92-00291 was hit by a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) while on the ground at Ghaki Pass on the Pakistani border with Afghanistan. The aircraft had just landed and was off-loading when the RPG was fired up the ramp into the main cabin area. Three non-rated crew members (NRCM) and two passengers (PAX) were injured. One afghanistan interpreter was killed in the explosion. The aircraft and all components were recovered back to Jalabad airfield on 14 October 2010 by the same DART package as 08-08048. 92-00291 was weighed after the recovery operation. It weighed 12,521 pounds as slung. The airframe was moved from Ghaki Pass to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Joyce - a distance of 10 miles at 15° Celcius (C) and 8,000 feet pressure altitude (PA). From there it was moved to Jalalabad Airfield - a distance of 35 miles at 25° C and 3,000 feet PA. Finally, 92-00291 was moved to Bagram Air Base - a distance of 85 miles at 10° C and 9,000 feet PA. It is expected the aircraft will either be repaired at Bagram or shipped back to the Continental United States (CONUS). 92-00291 was on loan from the Pennsylvania National Guard and operated as a float aircraft by B Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB), 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Knighthawk.

[AmericanSoldier15U]

CH-47 involved was from B/2-3 GSAB
serial #92-00291, callsign "Massive 60"
according to http://www.armyaircrews.com.

[/quote]

wow i remember hearing about this back in October. I am a CH-47 mechanic myself and first word we got was it was our boys, turned out not to be, but still, any time a bird is shot up and lives are lost its a bad day in the Hooker community. I think I have shots of that bird somewhere. Definitely flew all over RC East when it was in country.