U.S. Military Members Killed Following Helicopter Crash In Afghanistan — Who’s At Fault?

The U.S. Military lost 2 in-service men following a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Was the cause an enemy fire, technical issues or lack of a better skill of the pilot?

Military said that the tragic incident, which killed these 2 in-service men, happened on Wednesday, NBC News reported. The news further denoted an existence of a preliminary report which indicated that an enemy fire was not the cause of the helicopter crash.

Although the public is dying to know additional details of the crash, the incident is still under investigation; hence, the specific details to the said occurrence are momentarily withheld —that includes the exact location of the crash, the cause and the names of the U.S. Military men victims. It’s not that they are keeping this information to the public. According to the reports, it is the Department of Defense’s policy to hold the identities of the victims for 24 hours until their next of kin are properly and completely notified.

This isn’t the first time that a helicopter incident, involving the U.S. military, happened in Afghanistan this year. In fact, earlier in June, 2019, an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter was reportedly destroyed in a hard landing —also in Afghanistan. According to the report of The National Interest, spokesperson for Operation Resolute Support, Army Lt. Ubon Mendie, told Task & Purpose that there was no hostile fire neither were enemy involvement.

Luckily, the Afghan and U.S. personnel who were involved in the Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter crash were stable. They reportedly suffered injuries but there were no fatalities. This tragic news was initially reported by The Aviation Geek Club and it indicated that the said helicopter was on the way to drop passengers off in Hemland province when it crashed hard and got destroyed.

Although, there was a slight confusion on how to determine a crash from a hard landing. The media reached out to Lt. Mendie for clarification on the matter to no avail. Meanwhile, Fred Wellman, former OH-58 pilot and a retired Army officer reportedly told Task & Purpose that losing an entire aircraft and having several injuries were more than just a hard landing.

An article published at blog.aopa.org stated that one cause of a hard landing was exceeding the helicopter’s performance capabilities or limitations. Striking an object with the tail rotor in a hover can cause this incident as well. The term hard landing further implies that the pilot still has control (total or partial) over the helicopter, contrary to the crash —uncontrolled descent into terrain.

8 years ago today, 31 U.S. Troops were also killed in a helicopter incident in Afghanistan, and that will never be forgotten by their fellow Americans.

God Bless the freedom fighters of America!