Army Chinook Helicopter Destroyed by 'Hard Landing' in Afghanistan

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A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter assigned to Task Force Shadow prepares to land at Bagram, Afghanistan Aug. 4, 2018. (U.S. Army/Capt. Kristoffer Sibbaluca)
A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter assigned to Task Force Shadow prepares to land at Bagram, Afghanistan Aug. 4, 2018. (U.S. Army/Capt. Kristoffer Sibbaluca)

A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter was destroyed as the result of a recent hard landing in Afghanistan, according to a Defense Department official and media reports.

The incident involved a "hard landing" during the night between May 24 and May 25, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a DoD spokeswoman, told Military.com.

Military officials issued no public statement or release at the time of the incident.

The Chinook was "totally destroyed" during the landing, and U.S. and Afghan personnel on board were injured, Col. David Butler, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Afghanistan, told Aviation Geek Club.

"Both Afghan and U.S. personnel were injured, but all are stable and expected to recover," Butler said in a May 30 Aviation Geek Club story.

Military.com emailed Butler about the incident but did not receive a response by press time.

The incident occurred "on the way to drop passengers off" during a mission in Helmand Province, but "no hostile fire or enemy contact" was involved, Butler told Aviation Geek Club.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

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