Why Do U.S. Military Helicopters Keep Crashing?
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS In the beginning weeks of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as during the war on terrorism, military helicopter crashes and “hard landings” were a common occurrence. A number of BuzzFlash readers wrote in to comment on this, with many questioning why U.S. helicopters seemed to pose more of a threat than the enemy. Indeed, the war with Iraq was supposed to be an “ambitious test” for the Apache helicopters, which were never used in battle in Kosovo because of logistical problems and deadly training accidents. (Bear in mind that each AH-64A Apache costs at least $14 million, according to Janes Information Group and the U.S. Army. The newer version, the Longbow, costs about $18 million.) The news media also began to raise questions — and tried to provide answers. “Series of crashes highlights the vulnerability of copters,” read a March 23, 2003 Boston Globe headline. “For soldiers, the crashes served as reminders that helicopters – the workhorses they rely on for
