Another Helicopter Down

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A U.S. Army helicopter made a "hard landing" in northern Iraq on Thursday, but the military said the problem was mechanical and not the result of hostile fire.

Two pilots were injured and evacuated to an American military hospital in Kirkuk, about 180 miles north of Baghdad, the military said in a statement. There was no word on the extent of the pilots' injuries.

The helicopter, an OH-58 Kiowa, is mostly used in surveillance and some light combat missions.

"Preliminary reporting shows the cause of the hard landing was mechanical and not hostile fire," the statement said.


I believe preliminary reporting is now code for until we decide to let you know what actually happened, and even then there's an 'if' in there somewhere.