Army chopper crashes in Iraq due to ‘technical error’

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD

An Iraqi air force helicopter crashed on Wednesday due to a technical malfunction while carrying out a mission in the country’s south, injuring several crew members, according to local officials.

"An air force helicopter crashed today while conducting a security mission in the Adl area southwest of Amarah city in the southeastern Maysan province," a police officer in Maysan, who spoke to Anadolu Agency anonymously as he was not authorized to speak to the media, said.

The nine-member crew survived the crash, he added, but had suffered various injuries.

The police source went on to attribute the crash to a "technical malfunction", adding that the pilot had attempted an emergency landing but had ultimately failed to prevent the helicopter from crashing.

Mohamed Showaia, a member of Maysan’s provincial council, told Anadolu Agency that local army officials had informed the council of the incident.

Since the beginning of this year, three Iraqi military aircraft have crashed in three separate incidents.

In March, a warplane crashed while flying a mission over the city of Kirkuk, killing the entire crew. The Daesh terrorist group later claimed to have downed the aircraft.

In April, a Russian-built MI35 helicopter crashed in Iraq’s southern Wasit province, although the two-member crew survived.

And in May, another helicopter crashed -- also in Wasit province -- reportedly due to a technical error, killing the pilot and co-pilot and injuring eight officers who were onboard.