An American military reconnaissance helicopter came down in a “hard landing” Thursday morning south of Kirkuk, Iraq, officials said, injuring both pilots.
The pilots were evacuated to a military treatment facility in Kirkuk, the military said. No further information on their conditions was released. There was no indication of whether the U.S. Army OH-58 Kiowa was recovered or destroyed in place.
Officials said “preliminary reporting shows the cause of the hard landing was mechanical and not hostile fire.” Since January, some half-dozen U.S. military aircraft have been brought down by enemy fire.