Video Captures Terrifying U.S. Army Copter Crash in Afghan Outpost
- Posted on March 22, 2012 at 1:06am by
Scott Baker
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A U.S. Army AH-64 Apache gunship crashed in Marzak, Afghanistan, in restive Paktika province along the border with Pakistan. The incident, captured in the video above, illustrates the dangers of aggressive, low-level flying in a part of Afghanistan where U.S. troops are almost entirely dependent on airplanes and helicopters for resupply and fire support.
U.S. troops deployed to Marzak in January at the invitation of local elders. The Americans’ goal: to train up a local police force capable of defending the isolated town from Taliban fighters. The crash occurred in February, our colleague Leo Shane from Stars and Stripes tells us.
The Apache is shown flying low over the main U.S. outpost at a former boys’ school. The helicopter dips too low, bounces off the outpost’s snow-covered landing zone and spins wildly, narrowly missing several people before slamming into the ground near the Americans’ secondary outpost at a neighboring girls’ school.
No one was killed, according to the video description, but the copter crew supposedly could face criminal charges. The girls’ school is just a stone’s throw from “downtown” Marzak. It appears that if the Apache had bounced a few more times, it could have struck several homes and potentially hurt or killed a bunch of people.
A spokesperson for the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force told ABC News the video was taken Feb. 6 in the Paktika province in Afghanistan. Remarkably, no one on the ground was injured and the aircrew survived, the spokesperson said.
There was no enemy activity in the area and Army is currently investigating the incident, he said.
While the cause of the crash is unknown, former Marine Corps pilot and current ABC News consultant Steve Ganyard said it appears the pilot was performing dangerous low-level maneuvers for spectators and then lost control.
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jim1964
Posted on March 23, 2012 at 3:43pmThe pilot was obviously “hot dogging” the helo. goes down as Pilot error?
Report Post »JRHelgeson
Posted on May 8, 2012 at 12:35amIt appears the pilot was demonstrating a return-to-target (RTT) maneuver to troops on the ground. This is a flight tactic that is taught and trained. What caught this pilot was the thin air of Afghanistan (and poor judgement). Once he pointed that nose down, it was game over for him.
Report Post »ImMadAsHell
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 8:37pmYou are an Idiot and have no idea what you are talking about MORON. These two pilots are plain and simple Hot Dogs and their Commanders, Standardization Pilots, Instructor Pilots AND Pier Pilots should not be surprised that they were an accident waiting to happen. All of the above should be fired! The two pilots wiLL be FEB’ed (Flight Evaluation Board) and I’m 99.99% sure they won’t be flying again for the Army. U R a Moron, You want pilots like this not following the rules? Thats what got them into this mess, Not following the rules. Now the Army is down one $20,000,000 AH-64 that will never fire a canon or rocket or hellfire again. If I were on the FEB board I would vote to hang these idiots.
Report Post »Sicboy
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 7:00pmWow, that was ugly.
Report Post »notreally
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 4:57pmThere is a type of pilot who always wanted to be a jet fighter pilot (like I was). They are the most dangerous fools at the controls of any aircraft they come into contact with. Check out “B-52 crashes during airshow ” on You Tube.
Report Post »JACKTHETOAD
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 12:56pmThank You, Bozje, for watching over these brave souls.
Report Post »bankerpapaw
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 12:33pmOuch!!!
Report Post »Tacitus42
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 12:13pmanother pilot hotdogging epic fail http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjFIB1L3BPU
Report Post »1SSF
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 1:19pmThis tragedy never should have happened and now is a case study for crew resource management world wide. The pilot, Lt Col Arthur “Bud” Holland, was known throughout the wing as an erratic, renegade hotshot bomber jock that was going to kill someone. In fact, the air-boss (Col Wolff) flew with Holland during this specific flight because he didn’t want to put anyone else in jeopardy.
When I’m around anyone with the same reckless attitude, whether merely driving, around firearms, or explosives (in the military) – my ass is history. I’m Harvey the White Rabbit. Life is too short to lose body parts because someone else wants to act stupidly.
Report Post »1SSF
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 11:41amOur modern warriors and aircrews are predisposed to certain dangers that civilians simply cannot fathom. Such an event is expected and even accepted, even when the cause is pilot error. Nature of the business.
Report Post »Hoser
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 11:32am(Regardless of the cause of the crash) to me it is simply amazing that given the forces involved in such a crash that the crew survived. What a ride it must to have been. My Father (a B-17 gunner in the South Pacific) used to say, “Any landing you can walk away from . . .”
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 9:17amThis is why men and ego’s never mix well. Sometimes I think some grown men’s brains remain at the 15 year of age level. This is why men have so many car accidents, they take unnecessary risk that women would not. Men also get impatient behind the wheel as well as some women just to be fair.
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 10:33amApparently you aren’t aware of the fact that more traffic accidents are caused by females than males. I’ll grant that men will usually drive faster and that when we get into an accident it is usually a misjudgement of our or our vehicles abilities at speed making the accident pretty bad. But women talking on their phones, putting on makeup, swatting at children, and generally not paying attention to anything around them but the speedometer a foot from their face while driving the speed limit in the fast (that is the left most lane) lane jamming up traffic and causing miles of congestion; cause more accidents than anyone.
Report Post »000degrees
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 8:11amDebbie, don’t you have some work to get done for the dnc? I mean really, should the boss be wasting time at work on a company (taxpayer) computer???
Report Post »Onodacops
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 8:07am“Son, your ego is writing checks your body can’t cash” -Top Gun
Report Post »Mathew Manhorne
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 7:13amA close friend of mine flys Apaches in that Battalion and the pilot in this video was showing off and neglected to remember that at the altitude they were at the you have less power and the rotors lose lift. The pilot’s career was ended . He lost his wings and that was that….
Report Post »barfield2256
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 6:19amReported as spam
Report Post »Ron_WA
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 3:37amClearly looks as if the pilot was show-boating & lost control.
I’ve spent over a dozen years working closely w/ attack aviation & other rotary wing A/C & it appears he forgot &/or was too inexperienced to understand the effects high altitude & climate conditions have on rotary wing aircraft.
Dumb move. W/ any luck since no one was hurt all he gets is an invite to leave the Army.
Report Post »grudgywoof
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 6:28amWe had an F-16 crash in Nashville due to the pilot show boating for his family. He took off from the Nashville International airport and did a vertical climb stalling the plane. He crashed in a neighborhood near the airport killing 8 people on the ground. Makes you wonder about the selection process.
Report Post »SgtB
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 10:39amThe Marines had an F-18 fall out of the sky near Miramar Air Base in a San Diego neighborhood. But the problem there was an idiot officer in charge who ordered the pilot to not land on the vessel it took off from, fly past an air strip on the coast of San Diego at a naval facility, and fly over one of the most crowded places on the planet for 10 miles to get back to his home base. All the while he was losing pressure, fuel, and power and he was less than a mile from Miramar when his jet went down on a civilian’s home killing 3 people I think.
Point being, stupid people exist in all ranks and services. You have to know how to avoid them and when to tell them no, even if it means you lose a stripe.
Report Post »RepubliCorp
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 2:04amMatch that snowboarders……..
Report Post »Master_and_Commander
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 1:56amthank goodness nobody was hurt, they got very lucky. And the good news at least is we can all be sure that this will never be allowed to happen again, so I suppose its really more of a blessing. The lesson has been learned, and at the price of only one chopper and not with lives, thankfully
Report Post »KevINtampa
Posted on March 22, 2012 at 1:25amScary. Looked like a short timer ride.
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