Mi-17 down, 26 troops martyred

[The Patriot]

May their souls rest in peace.

 

[Neo]

Pakistan Says Technical Fault Caused Helicopter Crash ​

By Farhan Sharif and Gaurav Singh

July 4 (Bloomberg) -- A technical fault brought down a helicopter that crashed near Peshawar, the Pakistani military said in a statement issued in Rawalpindi.

The Mi-17 army helicopter crashed yesterday, 20 miles from Peshawar in the northwest of the country, the statement said today without giving the number of casualties.

Taliban militants claimed they downed the army helicopter, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Muhammad, a spokesman for the insurgent group.

All 26 people on board died and the wreckage of the helicopter has been removed, the AFP report said, citing a military spokesman not named in the report.

The Pakistani army arrested seven terrorists in its campaign in the Swat region, today’s statement said.

 

[EyelessInGaza]

One of the pilots was a very close friend!!

i remember the shine in his eyes when he was getting some briefing about ISSB from me before he joined the Army, never knew this is how it would end.

My dear God, rest in peace my dear, rest in peace.

I am sorry for your loss. May your friend RIP.

 

[Muradk]

Very tragic ...God bless all who were onboard. Amen.

Does anyone know the names of the flight crew ?

Maj Khurum and Captain sohail. I might have got the ranks wrong. But they were the pilots.

 

[SSGPA1]

One of the pilots was a very close friend!!

i remember the shine in his eyes when he was getting some briefing about ISSB from me before he joined the Army, never knew this is how it would end.

My dear God, rest in peace my dear, rest in peace.

very sorry for your loss bro ... may Allah accept their sacrifice and bless their souls.

 

[IceCold]

One of the pilots was a very close friend!!

i remember the shine in his eyes when he was getting some briefing about ISSB from me before he joined the Army, never knew this is how it would end.

My dear God, rest in peace my dear, rest in peace.

I am sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences to you and to his family.
May Allah give you and his family the courage to bear the loss of a dear one and bless his soul. Amen.

 

[blain2]

This is the single biggest lost suffered by the Pakistan Army Aviation in its entire history and also the single largest loss of life during this entire GWOT effort by Pakistan.

 

[Jihad]

Interesting, so we'll be getting more of these helis from the Americans..?
How about reliable and top quality products instead of piece of sh!t, we're fightning a goddamn war here for our interests and America's interests, the least they could do is give us modern equipment instead of old and refurbished CRAP.

May these troops rest in peace, they died for their country, they died trying to protect the ones they loved and their own countrymen/women.
I cannot think of anything more honorable than that.

 

[qsaark]

Interesting, so we'll be getting more of these helis from the Americans..?
How about reliable and top quality products instead of piece of sh!t

I guess the following questions are still unanswered:

a. Chopper was overloaded (as many as 41 claimed perished)
b. Technical problem(s)
c. Hostile fire

I would not say the choppers being operated are piece of sh!t until we get answer to the above questions.

 

[Jihad]

I guess the following questions are still unanswered:

a. Chopper was overloaded (as many as 41 claimed perished)
b. Technical problem(s)
c. Hostile fire

I would not say the choppers being operated are piece of sh!t until we get answer to the above questions.

You have a good point there qsaark, the number of soldiers who have died due to this incident is quite huge and shocking.
Will we find out what really happened and the receive technical details perhaps?
Who knows.

 

[HAIDER]

I don't think its maintenance issue or overloading. Pilots knows well what he is carrying and how many he is carrying . That must be fire from ground. Otherwise later day, won't be air raid at the same spot.

 

[qsaark]

I don't think its maintenance issue or overloading. Pilots knows well what he is carrying and how many he is carrying . That must be fire from ground. Otherwise later day, won't be air raid at the same spot.

Well overloading is a possibility. Choppers can lift more but than they don’t fly high and fast. It has been speculated that the choppers was overloaded and flying low, hence it came in the effective range of enemy fire. Who knows, there could be one or multiple reasons behind this fateful incident.

A famous example of one such incident is when the Chechen downed an MI-26 on August 19, 2002. The chopper originally designed to carry 80 troops was carrying 147 men. As a result of investigations, Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Kudyakov, was convicted of negligence and violating flight regulations http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3009015.stm.

 

[muse]

Chopper likely downed by overcrowding

Bureau Report
Saturday, 04 Jul, 2009 | 11:14 PM PST |

The MI-17 is designed to carry 32 people or 4,000 Kg — ferrying 41 people would have been a challenge — AFP photo.

Investigations have begun into the cause of the helicopter crash that killed forty-one security personnel but there were indications that the ill-fated MI-17 might have gone down due to over-loading.

Experts from the Army’s Aviation Wing are looking into technical aspects to determine the cause of the crash.

But Dawn’s own inquiries revealed that the Russian-made military transport helicopter can carry 32 people or the equivalent of 4000 kilograms of weight.

As one former aviation expert commented, the helicopter carrying forty-one people on board was obviously over-loaded.

Local residents in Parachinar also witnessed the helicopter flying at an unusually low altitude throughout its flight over Lower Kurram that might have been caused by excessive weight.

The road to Parachinar from Hangu has been closed for the last four months due to militant attacks and the resultant insecurity, thus creating a rush and demand for helicopter ride out.

One official said that the increase in the number of those who found a place on MI-17 could be explained by the lack of frequent helicopter service to Parachinar.

The military is hard-pressed with few transport helicopters, most of them aging, in view of the expanding war theatre to fight militancy in Fata and Malakand.

Meanwhile, the last rites of those killed in the helicopter crash in Chapri Ferozkhel on the boundary between in Orakzai tribal region were performed at Pando Ground here on Saturday morning, a security official said.

Sixteen bodies were to be dispatched to Parachinar, headquarters of Kurram tribal region by helicopter, which however, could not fly due to inclement weather.

Some of the bodies were flown to Multan in southern Punjab, while others were taken to their ancestral areas through ambulances.

 

[MastanKhan]

I don't think its maintenance issue or overloading. Pilots knows well what he is carrying and how many he is carrying . That must be fire from ground. Otherwise later day, won't be air raid at the same spot.

Hi,

Pilots are forced into overloading by aggressive officers, rich and over zealous clients and employers.

Case in point is the death of an upcoming black singer in bahamas in 1982 or 1983---on her way back---she had an entourage---and extra lugage---the pilot initially told her that it would overload the plane---she got mad---supposedly threatened the pilot and forced him to take off---well the plane didnot go very far---it crashed and everyone died. A tragic ending for a brilliant flyer and innocent troops.

Case in point---the Fokker crash in multan pakistan---supposedly overloaded with mango crates on a hot hot afternoon and full passenger manifest.

 

[chindit]

Pilots are forced into overloading by aggressive officers

I am sorry to say - it is the captains responsibility for this mistake. no talk of 'pressure' can absolve them of this fatal mistake.