The ‘hard landing’ that destroyed a Chinook in Afghanistan sounds a whole lot like a crash

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An Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter was “destroyed” in a “hard landing” in Afghanistan last week, defense officials confirmed to Task & Purpose, which sounds a whole lot like a crash, if you ask me.

“There was no hostile fire or enemy contact involved,” Army Lt. Ubon Mendie, spokesperson for Operation Resolute Support, told Task & Purpose. “Both Afghan and U.S personnel were injured but are all stable and expected to recover. The aircraft was destroyed during the incident.”

It doesn’t appear that an official statement was ever released about the incident, which Mendie said is under investigation.

The crash was first reported by The Aviation Geek Club, which puts it on the night of May 24th. Army Col. David Butler said the helicopter “hit the ground hard on the way to drop passengers off” in Helmand province, Aviation Geek Club reports.

Butler did not immediately respond to request for comment from Task & Purpose, and Resolute Support did not respond to further inquiries for details of the incident.

Mendie had not responded by press time about the difference between a hard landing and a crash, but Fred Wellman, a retired Army officer and former OH-58 pilot, told Task & Purpose that “when you lose an entire aircraft and have several injuries, it’s more than just a hard landing.”

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Haley Britzky

Former Army Reporter

Haley Britzky was the Task & Purpose Army reporter from 2019 to 2022. She previously worked at Axios covering breaking news. She reports on important developments within the service, from new uniforms to new policies; the realities of military life facing soldiers and their families; and broader cultural issues that expand outside of the Army, touching each of the military services.Â