The crew of the H-53 Sikorski helicopter that went down was extracted without casualties, said Marine Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne. U.S. troops blew up the downed craft to keep it from being looted, he said.

Insurgents said they downed the craft with a rocket-propelled grenade. Byrne said the reason for the crash, before dawn, was not known.

Byrne said he was not certain how many crewmembers were on the craft, which was not part of his 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.

Thank you for the imformation Top Curtis.

C.J. Breaux "Garfield 411"
HML-767 and HMH-362

US marine helicopter destroyed

Arab Times

A US marine CH-53 transport helicopter was destroyed when it crash-landed near the central Iraqi city of Najaf, but no-one was injured and enemy fire was not suspected, the military said.

The chopper, part of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, made "what is best described as a 'hard landing', then rolled and subsequently caught fire" yesterday, US Central Command said.

Crew safe after helicopter shot down; rescuer killed in ambush

April 13, 2004

By Abdul-Qader Saadi and Lourdes Navarro
Associated Press

A Marine Corps helicopter was hit by ground fire Tuesday and forced to land, and three crew members were wounded. One Marine in a rescue squad was killed by insurgents who attacked with mortars, small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, the military said.
Insurgents said they downed the craft with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, the Marine commander in the area, said the H-53 Sikorsky helicopter went down before dawn.

“This morning a helicopter made an emergency landing due to ground fire. The attack resulted in three wounded and a quick reaction force secured the crew and the helicopter was later destroyed to prevent it from falling into enemy hands,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy chief of U.S. military operations in Iraq.

The team that extracted the Marine crew came under mortar fire and was ambushed as it pulled back by gunmen using small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

A Marine was killed by mortar fire, Kimmitt said. Marine spokesman 1st Lt. Eric Knapp said seven Marines were wounded in the area.

An Associated Press reporter later saw the craft burning in a field 12 miles east of Fallujah. Photos of the wreckage showed no sign of bodies.

About a dozen masked gunmen were near the wreckage, with at least one carrying an RPG launcher.

“The helicopter was passing overhead, and we happened to be hiding here. We fired an RPG at it and it fell,” one of the gunmen said.

While Fallujah has been relatively calm for four days, the area between the besieged city and Baghdad has seen heavy clashes between gunmen and U.S. forces. Insurgents shot down an Apache on Sunday in nearby Abu Ghraib, killing its two crew members.

Before Tuesday’s helicopter crash, a U.S. convoy was attacked near the same site, and two Humvees and a truck were burning, said witnesses, who also reported U.S. casualties.

Associated Press reporter Abul-Qader Saadi in Fallujah contributed to this report.

CH-53 down

Having just returned from a one year "tour" there, I can only say, that the anti-USA insurgents have read and understand all the little tricks the NVA learned the hard way. They remember historical anti-USA shtuff and unfortunately the new guys (USA)are learning it the hard way, because no one is there that remembers. A helicopter pilot in IRAQ is not gonna be able to shoot his sidearm at an IRAQ insurgent who just fired off a clip and missed because he was told to LEAD a helicopter by 100 feet (meters). Sound familiar? Too bad most of us are too old.
😡

Thomas

What unit did you just return from serving a one year “tour” with?

ch-53 down

Now George. You know the rules. Sure am glad I don't have to Shootya! HAH!
My question for you: Why'd a "purple fox" wanna have all those snakes on his flight jacket? Hmmm.

When I was there (OCONUS), we made sure

"the screw" and all the "hollywood marines" (ooooh...attack COBRAS)

got taken care of for their adventure into the desert and their return home.
Had nothing to do with the re-deployment of the Marine assets as I came home to the farm at the end of Jan, 04.:)

As I read your comments to the Cobra crews

as “hollywood marines" (ooooh...attack COBRAS)

I could not help but think of our Brother Marines that were Killed In Action serving as Cobra crews in Vietnam, Grenada and Iraqi Freedom.

Left one out..

Top Curtis,
You left a out a couple Cobra crew loss's. We lost a "T" model in the Persian Gulf during the Escort of Re-Flagged Iraqi tankers. I believe the crew and aircraft was lost in late 87' or early 88'. I knew one of the pilots he was in HMM-261 with me when I cruised in 1987. Capt. "Grinch" Hill. I would have to check my cruise book for his first name. He was a hell of a Cobra pilot, flew on a test flight with him while we were on the boat in 87'. I do not recall the other pilots name that was with him when they were lost. The other Cobra loss was in Desert Storm, HML-775 lost a 'J" model in the desert while on Medevac escort. I was the crewchief on one of the Huey's from HML-767 that went to the crash site to recover the bodies, I am sure you know the emotions that one would go through when you do one of these types of miossions. We were tracked by Iraqi ground tracking radar the whole way in and out. The ALE/APR-39 indicator would not stop showing a tracking indication until we crossed back into Saudi Arabia. Thanks for letting ramble on.

Chris Breaux
HML-767 and HMH-362
UH-1N and CH-53D
Crewchief

Well there George...
Let me tell you. I welcomed the Marine Cobras into Kuwait. As I recall, most of them came in on C-5's. The Cobra MAJ I talked to said they were from Pendleton...the "Hollywood" Marines. Go figure! Whattaya think "bout that George?
I also welcomed and served the CH-53's that came in. The "screw crew." They were no where near as pretentious and bold as the HMA kids, and I was in the same outfit in OKI in '76. I shant elaborate how well they were treated.
Anyway, more than a couple of the "cobra" outfits were back loaded, but the "hollywood" guys were quite impressive to me as they stuck around to make sure their birds made it to the air decks and back to CONUS. I'm ashamed to say that the heavy hauler guys (officer-types) boogied to CONUS and left the troops to clean up the aftermath.

Hooper

Thank you GARFIELD411, we all want to keep the record straight.

I truly appreciate your updated information.

May we always remember them ALL as BROTHERS and never forget the PRIDE they served with.

One KIA & Three WIA

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 | LOURDES NAVARRO, Associated Press Writer
FALLUJAH, Iraq - A U.S. military helicopter was hit by ground fire Tuesday and forced to land, and three crew members were wounded. One Marine in a rescue squad was killed by insurgents who attacked with mortars, small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, the military said. Insurgents said they downed the craft with a rocket-propelled grenade. Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, the Marine commander in the area, said the H-53 Sikorsky helicopter went down before dawn. "This morning a helicopter made an emergency landing due to ground fire. The attack resulted in three wounded and a quick reaction force secured the crew...

We fired an RPG at it and it fell

Marine Killed After Copter Forced Down
Tue Apr 13, 5:02 PM ET

By LOURDES NAVARRO, Associated Press Writer

FALLUJAH, Iraq - A U.S. military helicopter was hit by ground fire Tuesday and forced to land, and three crew members were wounded. The military said rebels attacked a rescue team with mortars, small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

One Marine was also killed by mortar fire in Fallujah on Tuesday, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said.

Insurgents said they downed the craft with a rocket-propelled grenade.

Lt. Col. Brennan Byrne, the Marine commander in the area, said the H-53 Sikorsky helicopter went down before dawn.

"This morning a helicopter made an emergency landing due to ground fire. The attack resulted in three wounded and a quick reaction force secured the crew and the helicopter was later destroyed to prevent it from falling into enemy hands," said Kimmitt, deputy chief of U.S. military operations in Iraq (news - web sites).

The team that extracted the Marine crew came under mortar fire and was ambushed as it pulled back by gunmen using small weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

A Marine was killed by mortar fire, Kimmitt said. Marine spokesman 1st. Lt. Eric Knapp said seven Marines were wounded in Fallujah during the day. It was not clear if those casualties came from the battle around the helicopter.

An Associated Press reporter later saw the craft burning in a field 12 miles east of Fallujah. Photos of the wreckage showed no sign of bodies.

About a dozen masked gunmen were near the wreckage, with at least one carrying an RPG launcher.

"The helicopter was passing overhead, and we happened to be hiding here. We fired an RPG at it and it fell," one of the gunmen said.

While Fallujah has been relatively calm for four days, the area between the besieged city and Baghdad has seen heavy clashes between gunmen and U.S. forces. Insurgents shot down an Apache on Sunday in nearby Abu Ghraib, killing its two crew members.

Before Tuesday's helicopter crash, a U.S. convoy was attacked near the same site, and two Humvees and a truck were burning, said witnesses, who also reported U.S. casualties.